Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner: Online (D.N.P.)

Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner: Online (D.N.P.)
Nurse tending to a patient

Our online Post-Baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice (PB DNP) program with the Family Nurse Practitioner option (FNP) is designed for nurses working full-time who are seeking a terminal degree while creating a career concentration. We offer personal leadership and innovation development, systems theory, quality improvement, patient safety and health equity. Graduates are eligible to sit for the Family Nurse Practitioner certification exam.

  Credit Hours: 80 |     Program Length: 4 years  |    Tuition Cost
 


Why get a Post Baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice: Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner?

Our nation’s complex healthcare environment has created a great demand for innovative nurse leaders with specialized knowledge and advanced nursing practice expertise. The post baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a doctoral degree that prepares nurses for the highest level of advanced nursing practice. Students in the program have the opportunity to fast track through master’s level courses, take the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) licensing exam and graduate with the terminal DNP degree.

Why choose UNH's Doctor of Nursing Practice program?

This online post baccalaureate DNP is designed for nurses with a bachelor’s degree who wish to pursue academic preparation as a family nurse practitioner while completing a terminal degree in nursing. Students benefit from the focus on enhanced leadership, evidenced-based clinical and management skills, and development of advanced competencies for transforming healthcare delivery and practice. A dedicated UNH faculty advisor will help you balance the workload and manage your academic schedule. With small class sizes, our asynchronous program provides flexibility for working professionals. We offer several opportunities for on-campus visits during the program, including clinical practicum, doctoral symposium and graduation. Begin in January or August, and complete the coursework in 48 months.

Potential Careers

  • Advanced nurse practitioner
  • Chief executive officer
  • Chief nursing officer
  • Clinical nurse manager
  • Clinical nursing faculty
  • Director of nursing
  • Director of outpatient services
  • Director of quality &safety
  • Healthcare innovation officer

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The Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship

The Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship aims to strengthen leadership and innovation by empowering nurses to accelerate healthcare transformation. Read about this fellowship opportunity through the eyes of a UNH nursing graduate.

 

Briana White - 22G DNP

Cultivating Innovation - Finding the Grace

Briana White, Doctor of Nursing Practice '22G and participant in the prestigious Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship from 2019 to 2022 (sponsored by the Center of Creative Leadership, Johnson & Johnson and Nurse Approved), was eager to make an impact in the ever-changing nursing industry.

Thrilled to be involved in a program that nurtures a spirit of innovation intended to change the landscape of healthcare through the triad of education, mentorship, and leadership, she used her current home care management experience to sculpt her DNP scholarly project. Her fellowship project implemented these principles to create a first-in-nation model of care for home health. Learn more 

From the CHHS Blog

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Curriculum & Requirements

The online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program prepares nurses for the highest level of specialized nursing practice. DNP graduates are innovative leaders prepared to translate evidence into practice, improve systems of care and measure health outcomes in diverse settings. Students are required to plan, implement, and evaluate a quality improvement project customized to support their unique aspirations.

The Post Baccalaureate DNP (PB DNP) program is for nurses with a baccalaureate degree in nursing who are seeking leadership development and certification as a Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner

Admission Requirements

  1. Registered Nurse licensure: An unencumbered registered nurse license in the United State
  2. Baccalaureate degree in nursing or another field
  3. Letters of recommendation: Three letters of reference pertaining to academic ability, professional competency, and personal character are required.
  4. Updated resume
  5. Professional statement: The professional statement must include a written essay responding to each of the following:
    1. Describe a clinical experience that demonstrates your critical thinking and readiness to enter doctoral study.
    2. Explain how you use a nursing theoretical/conceptual lens to improve care.
    3. Tell us about a U.S. policy or health issue you are passionate about and why.
  6. Interview: After initial review of the application, applicants may be contacted for an interview.

Degree Requirements

Post Baccalaureate DNP: Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner (PC-FNP) program

Clinical Hours: 750*

Required Courses
NURS #900Foundations of Scholarly Writing & Professional Communication3
NURS 969Health Systems Policy, Economics & Financial Planning3
NURS 816Health Promotion Theory and Population Health3
NURS 915Leadership, Role & Collaboration3
NURS 917Biostats and Epidemiology3
NURS 818Foundations of Evidence Based Practice3
NURS 933Applied Analytics for QI in Health Care3
NURS 964Information Systems and Technology Improvement3
NURS 973Quality & Safety3
NURS 910Genomics & Ethics3
NURS 820Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan3
NURS 812Advanced Pharmacology and Therapeutics3
NURS 814Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan3
NURS 911Diagnosis & Management - Diagnostic Reasoning3
NURS 967Evidence Based Practice Methods3
NURS 920FNP Health Management I - Didactic3
NURS 921FNP Health Management I - Clinical4
NURS 922FNP Health Management II - Didactic3
NURS 923FNP Health Management II - Clinical4
NURS 924FNP Health Management III - Didactic3
NURS 940FNP Health Management III - Clinical4
NURS 980Doctoral Scholarly Project I3
NURS 981Doctoral Scholarly Project II3
NURS 982Doctoral Scholarly Project III3
Total Credits75
*

Clinical hours are completed through the following required courses: NURS 921, NURS 923, NURS 940.

The Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner builds upon the skills of the baccalaureate prepared nurse.

Upon completion of the Master of Science in Nursing, the graduate student is expected to:

  • Employ strategic leadership skills to shape practice environments to produce positive, patient centered, healthcare outcomes at individual and system levels.
  • Serve in a healthcare leadership and change agent role as part of a diverse, complex, and patient-centered health care system.
  • Act as a practice scholar to design, direct and evaluate system changes to promote safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient-centered care.
  • Use data analytic methods, information systems and technology to evaluate, integrate and apply knowledge that will improve programs of care, outcomes of care and care systems.
  • Use translational science and analytic methods to develop, identify, implement, and evaluate best practices to improve health care and health care systems.
  • Design and implement health promotion and clinical prevention strategies across the health/illness continuum to optimize health and disease management.
  • Systematically use improvement methods to monitor and evaluate care processes and outcomes and applies data for continuous improvement and safety
  • Advocate for social justice through policy, professional and political engagement.
  • Applies leadership principles that support inter-professional practice.
  • Facilitate interprofessional collaboration to implement practice models, peer review, practice guidelines, health policy, and standards of care.

In addition, the Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner graduate will:

  • Utilize advanced assessment, diagnostic reasoning, and evidence-based practice when partnering with individuals, families, and communities to optimize health.
  • Judiciously prescribe treatment modalities to manage acute and chronic conditions within state and federal scope of practice regulations.
  • Function as an independent practitioner to manage comprehensive primary care across the lifespan.

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Deadlines

Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:

  • Fall: June 15
  • Spring: December 1
  • Summer: N/A

Application fee: $65

Campus: Online

New England Regional: No

Accelerated Masters Eligible: No

New Hampshire Residents

Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission, or you will not be able to register for classes.

Transcripts

If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC. 

If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.

If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:

  • Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
  • Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.

Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.

Letters of recommendation: 3 required

Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.

Personal Statement/Essay Questions

The professional statement must include a written essay responding to each of the following.

  1. Describe a clinical experience that demonstrates your critical thinking and readiness to enter doctoral study.
  2. Explain how you use a nursing theoretical/conceptual lens to improve care.
  3. Tell us about a U.S. policy or health issue you are passionate about and why.

Resume

A current resume is required with your submitted application.

Important Notes

All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.

International Applicants

Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.

Licensing Requirements

Applicants who intend to pursue licensure after completing UNH's online Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) with the Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner option (PC-FNP) should become familiar with their state's licensure requirements. To assess if UNH licensure programs meet the requirements in your location, visit the Professional Licensure Disclosure Information webpage.

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Advance your nursing career with a top-ranked nursing degree from the University of New Hampshire.

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UNH's Nursing Department is nationally accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Explore Program Details

Tuition & Fees:

The University of New Hampshire’s online graduate tuition and fees information is available on the UNH Business Services Website. Program costs and technology fees are subject to change.

Course Fees: Specific courses may have additional course fees. Visit the course schedule for more information. 

TUITION & FEES INFORMATION

Financial Aid:

Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loans are a form of federal financial aid available to Graduate Students. To apply, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION

UNH Online PB DNP courses are taught by full-time faculty with excellent practical and pedagogical experience.

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