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Advanced Practice DNP Programs

Advanced Practice Nursing Virtual Info Session Dates

For additional information on the program and to meet with faculty, register for a virtual info session!

Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.

Kramer School of Nursing at Oklahoma City University offers Advanced Practice, BSN-DNP Programs in the following specialties:

  • Family Nurse Practitioner Program (66 credit hours)
  • Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Track (67 credit hours)
  • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Track (68 credit hours)

All programs are Full Post BSN-DNP programs, with minimal residency requirements. Doctoral students come to the OCU campus for a required three-day intensive prior to beginning each Fall, Spring, and Summer semester. Doctoral coursework thereafter, each semester can be completed in an online format. International students are required to reside in the Oklahoma City area and participate in on-campus learning activities related to coursework and other educational requirements throughout each semester.

The core nurse practitioner courses meet once a week on campus. Advanced Practice students can expect one class day per week, on campus. The BSN-DNP program is completed in 4 years. Completion for students with an MSN pursing Advanced Practice education and DNP Completion may complete the program in 3 years.

Advanced Practice DNP Requirements

In addition to the general Kramer School of Nursing Doctoral Requirements, Advanced Practice DNP applicants must also meet the following requirements:

  • Graduate of an accredited baccalaureate nursing program with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00
  • Current active licensure as a Registered Nurse in the United States or the international equivalent
  • BSN level health assessment and statistics courses
  • Minimum of one year of professional nursing experience or the equivalent
  • Additional requirements for the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program:
    • Must be ACLS certified prior to acceptance in program
    • Two years of Adult Acute Care work experience, preferably in an Intensive Care or Emergency Department setting

DNP Curriculum

Family Nurse Practitioner Curriculum (66 credit hours)

The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) track presents education focused on managing the healthcare needs of patients across the lifespan, within the primary care setting. Emphasis is placed on assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of acute and chronic diseases as well as health promotion and disease prevention activities for patients with a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and unique healthcare needs.

  • Health Communication and Informatics in Advanced Practice
  • Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice
  • Advanced Pathophysiology
  • Pharmacology for Advanced Practice
  • Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning
  • Health Promotion and Primary Care of Adults
  • Adult and Geriatric Primary Care I
  • Health Promotion and Primary Care of Women
  • Health Promotion and Primary Care of Children
  • Women’s Primary Care
  • Primary Health Care in Advanced Practice Settings
  • Research Integration in Nursing Practice
  • Children’s Primary Care
  • Adult and Geriatric Primary Care II
  • Advanced Health Care Policy
  • Philosophy and Theory for Advanced Practice
  • Transcultural and Global Health Care
  • Translational Research and Evidence-Based Practice
  • Population Health
  • Clinical Practice Management and Information Systems
  • DNP Project I
  • DNP Project II

Credit hours: 66

Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Courses (67 credit hours)

The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) track presents education focused on treating complex medical or surgical needs, focusing on patients who are physiologically unstable, technologically dependent, or highly vulnerable to complications. Practice settings may vary but include critical care and acute care in hospitals or other clinical settings.

  • Health Communication and Informatics in Advanced Practice
  • Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice
  • Advanced Pathophysiology
  • Pharmacology for Advanced Practice
  • Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning
  • Research Integration in Nursing Practice
  • Management of Adult-Gerontological Health Problems I
  • Management of Adult-Gerontological Health Problems II
  • Management of Adult-Gerontological Health Problems III
  • Adult-Gerontological Advanced Practice I
  • Adult-Gerontological Advanced Practice II
  • Adult-Gerontological Advanced Practice III
  • Adult-Gerontological Advanced Practicum
  • Advanced Health Care Policy
  • Philosophy and Theory for Advanced Practice
  • Transcultural and Global Health Care
  • Translational Research and Evidence-Based Practice Population Health
  • Clinical Practice Management and Information Systems
  • DNP Project I
  • DNP Project II

Credit Hours: 67

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Courses (68 credit hours)

The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) track presents education focused on improving mental health care for patients across the lifespan. Emphasis is on the promotion of mental health through assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of behavioral problems, mental disorders, and comorbid conditions in a variety of healthcare settings. Practice settings may vary but include inpatient care in hospitals or outpatient care in other clinical settings.

  • Health Communications and Informatics in Advanced Practice
  • Advanced Pathophysiology
  • Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice
  • Pharmacology for Advanced Practice
  • Transcultural and Global Health Care
  • Advanced Health Care Policy
  • Population Health
  • Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning
  • Research Integration in Nursing Practice
  • Advanced Psychopharmacology
  • Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health for Advanced Practice
  • Philosophy of Science
  • Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing for Advanced Practice I
  • Psychiatric Mental Health for Advanced Practice Practicum I
  • Clinical Practice Management
  • Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing for Advanced Practice II
  • Advanced Theory Development
  • Psychiatric Mental Health for Advanced Practice Practicum II
  • Translational Research and Evidence-Based Practice
  • Psychiatric Mental Health for Advanced Practice Practicum III
  • DNP Project
  • DNP Project II

Credit Hours: 68

Contact us

For more information about the Doctor of Nursing program, please contact Stacey Warden, Graduate Programs Specialist [email protected] or call (405) 208-5960 for more information.

Program Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes & Program Outcome Data

The DNP graduate of the Kramer School of Nursing will function as a professional nurse able to:

  1. Create and sustain environments exemplifying professional, ethical, and legal nursing practice.
  2. Design, implement, and evaluate comprehensive education, advanced clinical practice, administration, and/or research programs based upon advanced theoretical knowledge, national practice standards, and/or clinical practice guidelines that promote health, enrich the environment, and advance the nursing profession.
  3. Examine, implement, and evaluate nursing research and clinical practice guidelines to establish evidence-based advanced clinical practices using critical thinking frameworks for problem solving and making effective advanced clinical, educational, administrative, and/or evidence-based clinical practice policies and procedures.
  4. Integrate the scholarship of nursing through the promotion of physical, mental, social, and spiritual health across the life span within diverse cultures.

Click here to view the Doctor of Nursing program outcome data.