DNP - Doctor of Nursing Practice
The Ultimate Advanced Practice Nurse
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) empowers nurses who want to practice at the highest clinical level: in addition to making treatment decisions, ordering tests, and prescribing medications, they also lead people and teams and improve systems and safety, occupying roles in academia, as nurse administrators, government affairs leaders, teachers and professors, and chief nursing officers.
Available to students in two pathways, a BSN to DNP pathway and an MSN to DNP pathway, nurses who have earned DNPs are highly sought after by health systems across the country given the expanse of their strengths and capabilities.
Of particular note is the School's newly structured BSN to DNP pathway, new for fall 2025 entry, which offers an efficient plan of study that meets the needs of today's working nurses. Designed for nurses who have earned a BSN or generalist MSN degree who wish to become advanced practice nurses and achieve the highest level of nursing practice, the DNP offers all the personal, professional, and financial benefits a doctoral degree confers and the UVA pedigree that opens doors.
The BSN to DNP pathway program offers:
- In-person class about 1x/month with the balance of learning completed online (pending SCHEV approval)
- 3-year plan of study requires less time and costs less than a traditional DNP program
- 750 clinical practicum hours, and guidance in finding clinical placements with qualified preceptors
- 8 specialty areas from which to choose (listed below), and ample preparation for the certification exam of your choice
- No clinical experience required: you can come right in after earning a BSN
- Guaranteed admission for UVA School of Nursing alumni
- Application deadline: January 5
Graduates of the BSN to DNP pathway are prepared for a national specialty certification exam of their choice in one of eight specialty tracks as advanced practice registered nurses (APRN):
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist specialty
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner specialty
- Family Nurse Practitioner specialty
- Neonatal Nurse Practitioner specialty
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Acute Care specialty
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Primary Care specialty
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialty
- dual-track Adult Gerontology Acute Care CNS + NP specialty
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