Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Shape nursing standards of excellence and inspire teams to uphold the highest levels of patient care with a DNP from Walden.

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Next Start Date

  1. 10/9/2023: Course-based
  2. 11/6/2023: Tempo-based

Prepare for What’s Next

  • As a nurse dedicated to your patients and the field, you have the potential to play a larger role in the transformation of healthcare. Turn your passion into positive, tangible impact with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from Walden.

  • Choose the Specialization That's Right for You

    Select our Traditional Program or one of six specializations, including five that prepare you to seek NP certifications.

  • Personalized Guide to Completing Your Doctorate

    The Doctoral Degree Coach™ offers interactive checklists, a progress tracker, and reminders.

  • Walden University Practicum Pledge™

    Support services to help you with successful practicum placement and completion.

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The baccalaureate degree program in nursing (BSN), master’s degree program in nursing (MSN), post-graduate APRN certificate program, and doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program at Walden University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.ccneaccreditation.org.)

Doctor of Nursing Practice Specializations

Enhance your clinical practice leadership skills to help improve nursing practice and delivery of patient care.
Develop greater management expertise and harness your experience to serve as a leader and role model in your organization.
Build the knowledge and skills to care for patients 13 and older with complex acute and unstable chronic medical conditions.
Gain the advanced training to oversee the health and well-being of patients 13 and older and improve health outcomes.
Prepare to manage disease prevention, health promotion, and restorative care in patients of all ages.
Prepare to oversee the health and wellness of patients from birth to age 21 in pediatric primary care settings.
Learn to care for the mental and emotional well-being of patients with psychiatric disorders and emotional challenges.

Personalized Practicum Support

Practicums are vital to your learning experience.

That’s why we offer Practicum Advantage™—an ensemble of resources, self-help tools, and staff who understand the challenges of completing the nursing practicum. This includes the Walden Practicum Pledge™, available for BSN, MSN, and DNP programs. Once you register, a dedicated Field Placement Team partners with you to secure a site and preceptor. If you can’t identify your site and preceptor (along with additional requirements5), we’ll help find you a match.

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Testimonials

“It seemed like each class I was taking covered an issue I encountered at work. What I learned in the classroom, I immediately applied to my work."

James McDaniel | MSN Graduate and DNP Student

Doctoral Degree Coach

A Personalized Guide to Completing Your Doctorate

Earning your online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) requires commitment, perseverance, and hard work. You can do it, and Walden is here to help—with our Doctoral Degree CoachTM.

Walden partners with more than 500 health systems, schools, and professional organizations.

More about our DNP program

Improve your practice and your community through practical learning experiences and a curriculum focused on making a social impact.

Walden’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program will prepare you with the knowledge and expertise to strengthen your advanced nursing practice, augment healthcare delivery, and improve patient outcomes.

Your career options may include a role as a:*

  • Chief nursing officer (CNO)
  • Director of nursing
  • Nurse educator
  • Nurse administrator
  • Manager of informatics
  • Clinical instructor

*Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program.

Sources: O*Net Online. Summary Report for SOC Code 11-1011 Chief Executives.
Sample of reported job titles include Chief Nursing Officer. Retrieved February 2021;O*Net Online. Summary Report for SOC Code 11-9111 Medical and Health Services Managers. Sample of reported job titles include Clinical Director, Nursing Manager, Nursing Director. Retrieved February 2021;
O*Net Online, Summary Report for SOC Code 25-1072 Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary. Sample of job titles include Clinical nursing instructor. Retrieved February 2021;
O*Net Online, Summary Report for SOC Code 15-1211, Health Informatics Specialists. Sample of Job titles include Nursing Informatics specialist. Retrieved February 2021; and
American Nurse Journal. PhD vs DNP. June 2020.

Program Admission Considerations (BSN-DNP track): You must have a current, active RN license, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or equivalent from an accredited school and meet the general admission requirements.

Program Admission Considerations (MSN-DNP track): You must have a current, active RN license, a Master of Science in Nursing or equivalent from an accredited school and meet the general admission requirements.

Choose the BSN to DNP track if you are a registered nurse (RN) and have earned your bachelor’s in nursing degree. Choose the MSN to DNP track if you are a registered nurse (RN) and have earned your master’s in nursing degree.

You will also be required to submit a completed online application, employment history, and official transcripts.

Your Enrollment Specialist will help you gather all of the required materials starting with your application all the way through your first day of classes.

TEMPO LEARNING

NEXT START DATE: November 06, 2023

Limited-Time Offer

Speak with an enrollment specialist to learn about our current tuition savings.

Ongoing Military Offer

A 15% tuition reduction for servicemembers, veterans of the U.S. armed forces, employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and their spouses.*

Walden’s Enrollment Specialists are committed to helping you identify and leverage opportunities to save money on your education. Get in touch with an Enrollment Specialist today at 888-968-5331 to learn more.
Our Enrollment Specialists are ready to answer any questions you may have regarding this program. Fill out the form on this page to be contacted or call 855-203-5779.

A nursing practicum gives you valuable practical experience by allowing you to apply your new knowledge and skills in real-life situations and settings. For the nurse practitioner (NP) specializations in our Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs, we are excited to announce the new Walden University Practicum Pledge™. You will benefit from our large network of field sites and preceptors, an additional dedicated Field Placement Team that partners with you to identify a site and preceptor. If you’re unable to identify your own nursing practicum site and preceptor after several attempts, we’ll assist in finding you a suitable match (along with additional requirements**).

Ready to further your education?

Become a next-generation nursing leader and a catalyst for positive change in your organization and community.

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**Practicum Pledge Registration Requirements

Students must:

  • Register for the Practicum Pledge for each practicum course with which they want assistance.
  • Complete 2 coaching calls with a Field Placement Coordinator prior to Practicum Pledge registration deadline for each course and term.
  • Completion of all required professional preparation tasks as assigned by a Field Placement Coordinator.
  • Have documentation that meets required parameters showing at least 5 practicum sites that have formally denied your practicum via written communication after contacting qualified potential preceptors at the site who meets the preceptor and course requirements as outlined in the Practicum Manual.
  • Register for Practicum Pledge through Meditrek by first day of third term prior to starting each PRAC or PRCM course for which they are requesting support.

 

**Student Obligations Post-Match/Pre-Practicum Experience

Students must:

  • Possess an unencumbered RN license allowing for practice in the state where practicum will occur, a clear background check, clear drug test, and appropriate liability insurance upon securing a match via Practicum Pledge.
  • Complete onboarding process through CastleBranch by the practicum application deadline (the first day of the term prior to starting PRAC or PRMC course).
  • Complete on time of all onboarding requirements of the practicum site (no later than 8 weeks prior to first day of practicum or date determined by site, whichever comes first)
  • Submit their practicum application by the practicum application deadline.

 

**Practicum Pledge Terms & Conditions

Practicum Pledge is associated with a specific term and course. Any changes in student status including, but not limited to, failure of a practicum pre-requisite course, taking a leave of absence, etc., may require re-registration for the Practicum Pledge.

Although we will make every effort to find a preceptor and site that meets your needs, your unique request or location, may require additional travel or other restrictions. Walden may match a student to a site for the student that requires travel by the student of up to 100 miles. Local conditions may necessitate a student to travel farther than 100 miles, these include but are not limited to: low population areas, low supply of healthcare providers, or other reasons that may require finding more distant sites. Walden may find a match that satisfies the practicum requirements for the course but requires multiple sites and preceptors. The student may not be matched for the term that the student requests. If student declines the match from Walden, Walden has met their commitment of matching the student. If Walden matches the student through the Practicum Pledge and the student does not complete all of the practicum site’s requirements, Walden has met their commitment of matching the student. This includes, but is not limited to, not meeting the site’s onboarding criteria; having a current, pending, or past action on the student’s license requiring acknowledgement from the site; etc. If Walden matches a student through the Practicum Pledge and the preceptor decides to cancel their preceptorship due to the student’s violation of Walden’s Professional Competence and/or the Code of Conduct policies in the Student Handbook, Walden has met their commitment of matching the student. Additionally, the student will no longer be eligible for any future or existing Practicum Pledge applications. If Walden matches a student through the Practicum Pledge and the preceptor decides to cancel their preceptorship due to reasons related to the preceptor changing jobs or a change of schedule with the practicum site, then Walden will find an alternative match for the student for a future term (may not be in the term the student originally planned to enroll in that practicum). If Walden matches a student with a site through the Practicum Pledge, and Walden is unable to contract with the practicum site, Walden will be responsible to find an alternative match for the student. However, the site may not be available in the term the student originally planned to enroll in that practicum. If Walden matches the student through the Practicum Pledge and the student does not successfully complete that practicum course, then Walden has met their commitment of matching the student.

Walden reserves the right to modify the Practicum Pledge, including the right to cancel such pledge, to the extent such is necessary due to reasons beyond its control, including, but not limited to, national emergencies and pandemics. The terms and conditions of the Practicum Pledge are subject to change at Walden’s discretion. Walden will endeavor to provide students with reasonable advance notice of such change. The Practicum Pledge only applies to the following programs: MSN Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, MSN Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, MSN Family Nurse Practitioner, MSN Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) Primary Care, MSN Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, DNP Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, DNP Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, DNP Family Nurse Practitioner, DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) Primary Care, and DNP Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

We are committed to assisting students with a successful match. Students will not be required to select the site or preceptor selected by Walden. Even after Walden has provided a match, students may choose to continue the search process to find a site or preceptor that better matches their personal and professional preferences and utilize our Practicum Advantage services.

Additionally, if a student misses the Practicum Pledge registration deadline, we will still support them in the process of identifying possible sites and/or preceptors for that practicum via Practicum Advantage. Students who miss the Practicum Pledge registration deadline may still register for the Practicum Pledge for future practicum courses by the appropriate deadline(s).

 

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) IPEDS database. Based on the most recent year’s completions survey data, using CIP code family 51.38 “Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research, and Clinical Nursing” for Master’s(Award level 7) and Doctoral (Award level 17) degrees. Available at https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/use-the-data. (Retrieved January 2021; may consist of or include provisional release data.)

Enrollment Restrictions by State

Walden currently cannot enroll residents of the following states/districts into any DNP Nurse Practitioner specializations: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.

ONGOING MILITARY OFFER:

A 15% tuition reduction for servicemembers, veterans of the U.S. armed forces, employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and their spouses.*

*A 15% tuition reduction is available to new students who are servicemembers, veterans of the U.S. armed forces, or employees of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This tuition reduction is also available if you are a spouse of a servicemember, veteran, or employee of the VA. This tuition reduction cannot be retroactively applied. Tuition reductions are applicable to tuition only and do not apply toward books, materials, and other supplies or fees needed for a course.

Walden may change the tuition reduction offered hereunder at any time, but such change will not affect the tuition reduction for students who are currently enrolled at Walden and using the existing tuition reduction. All tuition reductions, grants, or scholarships are subject to specific eligibility requirements. Contact a Walden University Enrollment Specialist for details.

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, https://www.hlcommission.org/.
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