Doctor of Nursing Practice

Doctor of Nursing Practice

The PLU Doctor of Nursing Practice degree prepares graduates in one of two advanced practice specialty areas:

• Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)

The PLU difference

• PLU is known for its high quality nursing education.
• Cohort sizes are small to ensure a high quality, personable PLU experience.
• All clinical placements are arranged by the PLU faculty.
• There are full-time and part-time options for nurses with either a BSN or master’s in nursing for the FNP and the PMHNP program.

Graduates are able to develop and evaluate quality within a health system, collaborate with inter-professional teams to improve health outcomes, and be leaders in the nursing profession.

BSN to DNP

• Nurses with a BSN complete the DNP FNP program in three years full-time or a four years part-time .
• Successful completion of the program qualifies students to sit for national certifying exams for Family Nurse Practitioner or Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, making them eligible under Washington State law for Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) licensure.

MSN to DNP

• The post-Master’s DNP FNP program is designed to prepare expert level clinicians.
• Nurses with a master’s degree in nursing complete a Gap Analysis to determine what courses from their master’s degree can be applied to the DNP program, and an individualized program of study is developed.
• Usually two years of full-time study is required to complete the DNP FNP or DNP PMHNP.

MSN-ARNP to DNP

• The post-master’s DNP program for nurses who are already advanced practice nurses is designed for the ARNP to complete their doctorate in two years of part-time study.
• Post-master’s ARNP students retain their specialty and earn their doctoral degree.

The DNP program trains nurse practitioners for lives of leadership. Learn about how graduates improved patient outcomes through partnerships with major health care organizations: Shaping Health Care

Molly Martin, earned her BSN, MSN, and DNP at PLU. Watch the video to hear about her experience.