UM-Flint's Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Receives Second Accreditation

Earlier this year, the Department of Nursing underwent a rigorous accreditation review and site visit by representatives of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for the initial accreditation of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. Recently, the department received notification that it has now been accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice is a terminal professional degree intended primarily to prepare registered nurses (RNs) for advanced practice roles such as Family, Adult, and Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioners. The program also educates advanced practice RNs such as clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, and certified registered nurse anesthetists at the doctoral level. The curricula aims to meet today's practice demands in areas of leadership, informatics, evidence-based practice, education, cultural competence, and policy at the doctoral level.

This four year, part-time program is taught in a distance-learning (online) format with clinical courses arranged in local area. The students are educated to be independent licensed health care providers. They provide primary care for persons in a variety of settings and help combat the shortage of primary care providers in the U.S. today.