Doctor of Nursing Practice, Organizational and Systems Leadership (BSN to DNP)

To be eligible for the BSN to DNP option of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, an applicant must have a baccalaureate degree in nursing from a nationally and regionally accredited nursing program. Students in the BSN to DNP option will proceed directly from the BSN degree to a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree without being awarded an MSN degree. 

Students with a master’s degree in nursing from a nationally accredited nursing program who wish to complete the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree can pursue one of two Post MSN options of the DNP program: Doctor of Nursing Practice, Advanced Nursing Practice (DNP) or Doctor of Nursing Practice, Organizational and Systems Leadership (DNP).

Program Outcomes

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) prepares experts in advanced nursing with emphasis placed on innovative, evidence-based practice that reflects the application of credible research findings. The expanded knowledge base in nursing will broaden the DNP graduate’s ability to translate that knowledge quickly and effectively to benefit patients, to improve outcomes, and to contribute to the profession.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of Southern Indiana is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.ccneaccreditation.org).

Upon completion of this program, the DNP graduate will be able to:

• Lead the analysis, synthesis, and integration of established and evolving knowledge from nursing and other disciplines to advanced nursing practice specialties at the highest level of nursing science.
• Design, lead, and evaluate holistic person-centered care that is individualized, equitable, respectful, compassionate, coordinated, evidence-based, and developmentally appropriate.
• Evaluate and synthesize evidence promoting strategies to impact health policy addressing wellness, social determinants of health, and disease prevention and management in collaboration with community partners to promote equitable population health outcomes at the advanced nursing practice specialty level.
• Appraise, synthesize, translate, and disseminate evidence to advanced nursing practice to improve health outcomes, advance the profession, and transform healthcare.
• Develop and lead initiatives utilizing principles of safety and quality improvement as core values of advance nursing practice specialties to enhance care delivery and minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
• Foster and lead interprofessional teams to collaborate across professions with patients, families, communities, and other constituents to optimize care, enhance the healthcare experience, and improve outcomes.
• Lead system wide strategies within complex healthcare systems to provide safe, quality, and equitable care to diverse populations.
• Evaluate information and communication technologies and informatic processes to gather data, support evidence-based decision-making, provide care, and expand knowledge and wisdom in accordance with best practice and professional and regulatory standards within advanced nursing practice specialties.
• Model and advocate for a professional identity aligning with advanced nursing practice specialties, demonstrating caring, civility, integrity, accountability, a collaborative disposition, and behaviors that reflect nursing’s characteristics and values.
• Design and lead activities and self-reflection fostering personal health, resilience, and well-being, promote lifelong learning, and support the acquisition of nursing expertise and the assertion of leadership.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements for the BSN to DNP option of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program are as follows:

• A baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN) from a nationally and regionally accredited nursing program earned prior to applying to the BSN to DNP program.
• ALL APPLICANTS MUST HAVE a minimum cumulative baccalaureate grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale. GPAs are reviewed based upon the total BSN GPA. This includes transfer courses in RN Completion programs.
• Satisfactory completion of a course in undergraduate statistics (grade C or better) at the time of application.
• An unencumbered U.S. RN license in all states of practice.
• Students with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing obtained outside of the United States must submit an evaluated transcript of their international degree that is comparable to a U.S. BSN. Please review the admission policy for internationally-educated applicants with BSNs.
• Recommended but not required: one year full-time or two thousand hours of clinical practice as an RN within the last five years.

To earn the DNP degree, students must complete all courses with a grade of B or better.