蜜桃传媒

The Connell School鈥檚 DNP project, says Kelly-Weeder, reflects guidelines established by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing in 2015 for planning, implementing, and evaluating student research in the 300 DNP programs nationwide.

Students in the Boston College program will take two courses on evidence-based practice to prepare for their projects. Additional knowledge and skills, in students鈥� specialty areas of practice鈥攁dult-gerontology, family, nurse anesthesia, pediatric, psychiatric/mental health, or women鈥檚 health鈥攚ill be integrated in all coursework, says Kelly-Weeder.

DNP faculty will consult with the Connell School鈥檚 clinical partners at outpatient hospital clinics, community health centers, and other primary care settings in Greater Boston, with a goal of identifying enduring practice problems that might reap the rewards of evidence-based research. These could include clinical concerns鈥攆or instance, treating the complicated health care needs of individuals with diabetes鈥攐r organizational challenges, such as using electronic medical records to monitor patients with particular diagnoses.

Connell School faculty and their clinical practice partners will help ensure the projects鈥� relevance, feasibility, and quality. Students will be matched to project sites based on their specialty areas and scholarly interests, then mentored by a faculty member and on-site clinician during all phases of their projects.

As they complete their individual DNP work, students will also work in small groups of three to five with other Connell School DNP candidates who share their interests and background, says Kelly-Weeder. Students addressing diabetes medication compliance at a community health center, for instance, might focus on identifying barriers that affect different populations鈥攏ursing mothers, the elderly, or newly diagnosed patients, for example鈥攁nd devise multifactorial solutions to advance their care.

The Connell School plans to hold an annual event where graduating students in the DNP program will present their applied research. While DNP faculty advisors will help those students who want to publish their outcomes in scholarly journals, Kelly-Weeder emphasizes that 鈥渢he primary goal of the DNP project is implementation.鈥� The final phase of the doctoral program, she observes, will demonstrate students鈥� ability to not only evaluate and manage health care environments serving a diverse range of patients but also to help 鈥渓ead the change that we so critically need to improve care.鈥�

Apply to the DNP Program

Criteria for admission to the Connell School Doctorate in Nursing Practice program differ and depend on a candidate鈥檚 level of academic and professional experience. Registered nurses (RNs) and experienced nurse practitioners (NPs) must meet different criteria than those who enter the program with a B.A. or B.S. in a field other than nursing. Prerequisites for applicants to the nurse anesthetist DNP vary as well.