General Program Information
Dr. Judith Rice, DNP, RN, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs
2-208 Roy Nicks Hall
Box 70629
(423) 439-4396
e-mail: riceja@etsu.edu
Dr. Nancy Cameron, DNP, RN, ETSU-TTU DNP Program Director
209 Roy S. Nicks Hall
Box 70629
(423) 439-4874
e-mail: cameronng@etsu.edu
Faculty: Bernita Armstrong; Nancy Cameron; Teresa Carnevale; Kimberly Ferguson; Retha Gentry; Christine Hall; Jean Hemphill; Sharon Loury; Ernie Maupin; Sheena Miller; Kristen Montgomery; Paige Mullins; Victoria Pope; Judith Rice; Arshak Sargsyan; Terri Schreiner; Candice Short; Florence Weierbach; PiMing Yeh
The Doctor of Nursing Practice program offers a terminal professional degree for those who wish to pursue or further their career as an advanced practice nurse focusing on healthcare needs of specific populations. The ETSU College of Nursing and TTU School of Nursing Joint Program currently offers six concentrations within the degree: Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Nursing and Healthcare Leadership, Family Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-Primary Care, Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, and Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner.
The focus of the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner is to provide healthcare from adolescence to older adults in hospitals and clinic settings focusing on management of clients across acute care settings in collaboration with other members of the healthcare team. Graduates are eligible for the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner national certification examination. Graduates are prepared for employment in varied healthcare settings.
For application terms and deadlines please refer to the College of Nursing website.
Admission Requirements
Applicants seeking admission to the DNP program must fulfill all the requirements for admission to both the Graduate School and the College of Nursing. Applicatns will submit two applications: one to Nursing CAS and one to ETSU’s Graduate School. The Graduate School requires that all students submit the following materials:
- a completed application form including payment of a nonrefundable application fee;
- transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate work (including Tennessee College of Applied Technology - TCAT);
- and a personal statement.
There are different levels of admission depending upon prior credentials of applicants and whether or not they hold a BSN, MSN, or a BSN and a master’s in another discipline. Additional requirements for admission to the DNP program include:
- BSN-DNP applicants:
- A bachelor’s degree in nursing is required;
- For international applicants, a bachelor’s degree in nursing or equivalency (for BSN to DNP applicants), or a non-nursing master’s degree or equivalency (for MSN to DNP applicants) from a nationally accredited nursing program or comparably recognized non-U.S. institution, with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4-point scale;
- MSN-DNP applicants (4 options)
- Certification in the selected nursing specialty for the concentration. For example: Certified FNP for FNP concentration, Certified WHNP in the WHNP concentration, etc.;
or
- Master’s in Nursing in a specialty different than the intended concentrations (WHNP, PNP, ACNP, PMHNP, FNP, Nursing and Healthcare Leadership) will require a longer program of study adapted to the previous Master’s specialty and nursing experience;
or
- Non-nursing master’s with a BSN from a nationally accredited nursing program will require a longer program of study adapted to the previous Master’s specialty and nursing experience;
or
- For the MSN-DNP, Master’s in Nursing with advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) certification (Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Midwife, or Nurse Anesthetist) or master’s level nursing administration/ healthcare systems leadership concentration;
- NOTE: All four MSN options for the Nursing and Healthcare Leadership in Nursing concentration require at least one year of experience in a nursing administration role.
- Unencumbered licensure as a Registered Nurse in the United States and eligibility for licensure in Tennessee or equivalency for international students;
- All applicants are required to have at least two years of full-time work experience (or equivalent) in nursing as a registered nurse;
- All applicants will participate in an interview;
- All applicants will be required to complete a personal statement with the application addressing why you want to go to graduate school and why this program would be a good fit with your career goals. The personal statement must also address the following questions: What current trend(s) in healthcare do you find the most concerning or compelling? What in your education and/or professional practice has prepared you to address the identified trend(s)? How do you think you will be able to impact the trend(s) you identified, in your new role when you have completed your graduate study? Use at least two scholarly references and write the essay in American Psychological Association (APA) format. They writing must be your own work; and
- A current resume or vita.
The completed application form and fee, transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate work, personal statement, documentation of nursing licensure in the United States, MSN certification (where applicable), and resume or vita must be submitted to the ETSU Graduate College or the TTU Graduate College, depending upon the applicant’s choice. International students must also forward the additionally required documentation to the appropriate Graduate College.
Student Retention and Progression Criteria
Required GPA
The DNP graduate student, to remain in good standing, must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better on all graduate work attempted. In order to graduate, students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA overall and on the program of study.
Nursing Requirement
Credit toward a degree objective will be granted for any graduate course in which a grade of A, B, or S is assigned; however, not more than three (3) hours of credit below a B grade is allowed.
If a student’s grade is lower than “B,” s/he may repeat a course. However, no more than one required course may be repeated. In repeating a course the previous grade as well as the grade earned from the repeated course will be calculated into the subsequent GPA. Students will be dismissed from the program if they do not meet the requirements in this policy.
Incomplete (I) Grade
An incomplete grade (“I”) indicates that the student was passing the course at the end of the semester, but due to circumstances beyond the student’s control, was unable to complete the course work for which the “I” is assigned. The “I” grade cannot be used to allow a student to do additional work to raise a deficient grade or to repeat a course. An “I” grade must be removed no later than one calendar year from the time the grade is awarded. Time extension requests for removal of an “I” grade must be submitted by the instructor of record to (and approved by) the home school’s graduate school Dean before the allotted time expires. An “I” grade not completed within the one year time frame will be converted to an “F.”
Academic Probation: Unsatisfactory Performance
When the cumulative GPA falls below 3.0, the graduate student will be placed on academic probation for the following semester. If the student does not achieve a 3.0 cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of one probationary semester, his/her home school’s Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and appropriate college/departmental/program officials will determine whether the student should be dismissed from graduate study or continued on probation. No students will be allowed more than two probationary semesters, whether consecutive or cumulative. At the end of the second probationary semester a student whose cumulative GPA is still below 3.0 will be dismissed from graduate study. Students whose performance results in a GPA so far below 3.0 as to make it mathematically impossible to attain an average GPA of 3.0 after one semester may be subject to dismissal without a probationary term.
Dismissal
If the student does not achieve a 3.0 cumulative GPA at the conclusion of one probationary semester, the ETSU or TTU Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and appropriate college/departmental/program officials will determine whether the student should be dismissed from graduate study or continued on probation. At the end of the second probationary semester a student whose cumulative GPA is still below 3.0 will be dismissed from graduate study. A student will also be dismissed from graduate study if they receive a second grade below “B.”