DNP: Family Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

The DNP is a doctoral degree focused on the clinical practice of nursing. The degree represents the highest academic preparation for nursing practice. The DNP curriculum focuses on the knowledge needed to provide comprehensive direct care across settings. It can be conferred in conjunction with any specialty in advanced practice.

A strong foundation in courses such as anatomy and physiology, microbiology, pharmacology, and physical assessment with a grade of B or above is one key to success.

The curricular content will enable the graduate to make complex diagnoses, provide evidence-based treatment modalities, utilize sophisticated informatics and decision-making technology, and assimilate in-depth knowledge of biophysical, psychosocial, behavioral and clinical sciences.

The expanded competencies of the Doctor of Nursing Practice enable graduates to independently provide complex care across all settings including ambulatory, acute, community and home settings. For example, the expanded curriculum will focus on the utilization of evidence-based decision-making to admit and co-manage hospitalized patients, to provide advice and treatment initiated over the phone, and to initiate specialist referrals and evaluate the subsequent advice and initiate and participate in co-management.

There is only a 3-year plan option. A part time plan of study is not available.

The DNP Advanced Practice Track is completed over a 3-year period. As students begin to take specialized courses that prepare them for the respective role, they will be engaged in settings to learn their future role and in which the DNP Scholarly Project is situated. Hence, it will be challenging to maintain employment that is not flexible beyond the first year.

The DNP, or clinical doctorate, prepares the graduate to practice independently with the most complex patients, in any setting where the patient requires care, utilizing complicated informatics and evidence-based decision-making. Research doctorates prepare graduates to initiate and conduct sophisticated research projects, serving as the principal investigator.

The school accepts up to six credits of transfer from outside the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Once admitted into the program you can request to transfer credits by completing the transfer of graduate credit form.

The School of Nursing follows the regular academic schedule (prospective students should note that these courses are not self-paced). Students are enrolled for the fall, spring, and summer terms. Prospective students should refer to the plans of study found on the curriculum pages for each specialty.

Please visit School of Nursing’s Tuition and Fees page for the current program costs.

For students admitted to the DNP Nurse Practitioner tracks, please note that while this is an on-campus program, many of the courses and course content will be delivered in an online format. Please refer to the course schedule for the upcoming semester for specific course delivery information.

The DNP program requires a minimum of 1000 practice hours.  The majority of these hours will be in the clinical practicum where you will apply what you learn in the theory courses to gain the competence required for your particular specialty.  The balance of the practice hours are devoted to the DNP practicum which focuses on the DNP Scholarly Project. Ideally, you will have one-year of RN experience before starting the first specialty clinical.

Many of the core courses will be taken by all DNP Advanced Practice students at the same time. This could be as many as 60 students. However, the track specialty courses will be taken with only students in that specific specialty. In clinical courses, there is a ratio of 1 to 6 students per clinical instructor with each student assigned to a preceptor.

Students in the same specialty and the same plan of study will move through as a cohort. 

It is possible for students to negotiate a clinical site within their area of interest, but these cannot be guaranteed. The DNP Scholarly Project could allow students to identify a problem within a specific area and bring that together with the specialty role. 

The FNP role includes preventative healthcare, as well as the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illness and preventative health care for individuals and families. FNPs demonstrate a commitment to family-centered care and understand the relevance of the family’s identified community in the delivery of family-centered care.

–NONPF, Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies Content, 2017.

A strong lifespan foundation in clinical experience is one key to success for the FNP track.

Clinical practicum experiences are determined by the student’s area of focus, student interest/experience, site and preceptor availability, and the student’s programmatic needs. The student works collaboratively with the Track Director and the Clinical Placement Team to request sites and identify preceptors, with final approval by the Track Director. Following an orientation to the electronic software system, the student will be responsible to complete clinical requests and upload required school and site compliance documentation by the due date. The due date is prior to the semester that includes a clinical course. Students will be working with the Clinical Placement Team throughout the course of their program. The Clinical Placement Team participates in orientation, advising sessions, and on-site immersions. The student is encouraged to work collaboratively and proactively with the Clinical Placement Team. An all-hands on approach yields optimal preceptor opportunities.  Unauthorized states for clinicals include LA and NY.  Admitted students who decide to enroll will be required to sign the “Student Expectations in the Clinical Placements Process” document prior to their first term in the program.  For more information on Clinical Placement Services, visit https://nursing.jhu.edu/clinical-placement/.

There are four DNP Scholarly Project courses that sequentially reflect the stages of evidence based practice quality improvement: Problem Discovery, Project Advancement, Project Application, and Project Evaluation and Dissemination. Each of the four courses has incorporated practicum hours. The DNP Scholarly Project is situated in the clinical setting where the student will carry it out.  As the project is a quality improvement focus, key stakeholders in the practice setting are necessary to identify clinical problems they want to address and for which they want to partner with a student or team of students. See your plan of study for the number of practicum hours associated with each course associated with the DNP Scholarly Project. 

Practicum experiences are integrated throughout the DNP curriculum to support the development of advanced practice competencies. Students complete a series of four DNP Project practicum courses, each taken concurrently with a corresponding didactic course. These paired courses support the progressive application of knowledge, guiding students through areas such as problem discovery, evidence translation, leadership, health policy, and systems improvement.

Students begin developing scholarly competencies by identifying and defining practice problems through modeled cases and structured learning in didactic courses, with practicum experiences supporting continued application and refinement in real-world settings. Practicum courses are integrated across the DNP-AP curriculum to support meaningful, experiential learning in real-world settings. Each practicum is taken concurrently with a corresponding didactic course, allowing students to translate and apply their knowledge across areas such as problem discovery, evidence translation, leadership, and systems improvement.

Practicum-based experiences may include observational opportunities, reflective learning activities, and collaboration with clinical, organizational, or community practice partners. These experiences support continued development of advanced practice competencies and prepare students to engage in scholarly work that aligns with clinical and population health needs.

In alignment with the AACN Essentials (2021), practicum experiences serve as focused and sustained opportunities to support competency attainment. These immersion-based experiences enable students to integrate advanced-level sub-competencies and specialty-focused knowledge through applied learning in real-world contexts. Practicum engagement is structured to foster professional formation and support the demonstration of Essentials-aligned outcomes.

Refer to your Plan of Study for the practicum hour requirements associated with each course.

• At least one letter should come from a recent or current direct supervisor/manager (the person who is responsible for your performance evaluation)

• At least one letter should come from an academic faculty member who can speak to your ability to successfully complete a demanding graduate level academic and clinical program.

• The third letter can come from a second academic faculty member or an individual in a leadership position who can speak to your clinical abilities.

• Personal references from colleagues, friends, or family members do not meet the requirement.

• If you are unable to provide one of the reference letters above, please upload a statement of explanation to your application.
  
  

Please include the following information in your resume or CV:

• Work experience (include dates, sites and locations; paid and unpaid; any residency participation)

• Education Background

• Scholarly activities (research, presentations, publications, honors, awards)

• Professional activities (leadership, certifications, professional organization membership, service on committees)

• Community Service/Volunteerism