Graduate Program Information: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurse Anesthesia Concentration

The DNP program's Nurse Anesthesia concentration at LMU can only be completed as a full-time option and consists of nine semesters.  Each student in the DNP program's Nurse Anesthesia concentration will be assigned a nurse anesthesia faculty as their academic advisor to oversee his or her program of study.

The DNP will prepare graduates as visionary leaders in the practice of nursing and delivery of healthcare locally, regionally, and nationally in all settings. The program prepares graduates to demonstrate advanced competencies in areas including advanced practice skills, prevention and population health, organizational and systems leadership, practice scholarship and analytical methods, information systems/technology for transformation of healthcare, leadership in healthcare policy, and inter-professional collaboration and population outcomes. The DNP program will prepare graduates to fully implement emerging science and practice innovation in healthcare.

Goal

The DNP program provides the opportunity for nurses to earn a practice doctorate as practice scholars and expert clinicians in innovative healthcare that translates research into evidence in practice, measures patient outcomes, advances nursing roles in practice and nursing leadership, and transforms policy at all levels in healthcare systems to ensure quality and safety.

DNP End-of-Program Student Learning Outcomes

The outcomes of the DNP program are to prepare students as practice scholars in practice-oriented, community-based roles that reflect translation of research into practice by incorporation of health policy, principles of epidemiology, information technology, evidence-based practice, business principles, collaboration, and health systems.

Upon completion of the DNP program students will be able to:

1. Synthesize knowledge from nursing science and related disciplines and apply principles of evidenced-based practice to improve health outcomes.
2. Apply knowledge of systems and organizational theories to lead the development of initiatives to improve quality, manage risks, and provide cost-effective patient care.
3. Demonstrate advanced analytic techniques in the appraisal of the quality of existing evidence to determine best clinical practices, design and implement plans to evaluate clinical outcomes, analyze data from practice in order to identify gaps in nursing science, and contribute to the generation and dissemination of nursing knowledge.
4. Evaluate data management systems, healthcare information systems, consumer health information sources and patient care technology to improve the ethical and effective use of information to improve health outcomes.
5. Advocate for ethical health care policies that ensure equity, stewardship of resources, and improvement of health outcomes at local, regional, federal and or international levels.
6. Demonstrate interprofessional collaboration, employing consultative and leadership skills to effectively improve health outcomes.
7. Analyze and apply scientific data to develop and implement interventions to promote health, address disparities, reduce risk, and manage disease trajectory to improve health outcomes of individuals, communities, populations, and systems.
8. Apply advanced nursing practice knowledge and competencies to assess health and illness parameters, design, implement, and evaluate interventions to improve health outcomes and serve as a leader, life-long learner, and mentor in the promotion of practice excellence.

Doctor of Nursing Practice: Nurse Anesthesia Concentration Post Bachelor’s Admission Criteria/Requirements

1. Graduation from an accredited baccalaureate nursing program.
2. An overall academic record with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of “B” (3.0) or better.
3. All applicants must have understanding of basic computer skills and completion of an undergraduate statistics course. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores for applicants with cumulative grade point average less than 3.4.  If the GRE is required, competitive GRE scores on Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing are required.
4. Minimum of three recommendations including one from faculty of the candidate’s baccalaureate nursing program or immediate supervisor in a critical care setting and one from another professional in a related healthcare field (examples may include: Clinical Nurse Specialist, RN, CRNA, Anesthesiologist, Surgeon, or Intensivist).
5. The application must complete undergraduate basic chemistry course and an organic chemistry course, at least one of which has a laboratory component.
6. A statement of professional goals.
7. An unencumbered license to practice as a registered nurse in the state of Tennessee or Florida is required for enrollment; clinical practicum will require licensure in additional states including Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, and any other states where students might obtain clinical experience.
8. A minimum of one-year experience as a Registered Nurse in critical care (Level I or Level II trauma center preferred); adult critical care experience preferred.
9. The Nurse Anesthesia concentration is a full- time program. Students may only request full- time status.
10. Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Pediatric Life Support must be current through December of the year in which the application is submitted.
11. Medical profile including immunizations record and urine drug screen completed no more than 60 days prior to enrollment in the Nurse Anesthesia concentration.
12. A criminal background check and drug screen will be completed prior to enrollment no more than 60 days prior to enrollment in the Nurse Anesthesia concentration.
13. Proof of health insurance at all times when enrolled in the program.
14. An in-person or Zoom interview as part of the admission process.
15. Students from outside the United States must demonstrate sufficient ability to read, write and speak English with a minimum score of 550 on the TOEFL.
16. Students from outside the United States must submit official transcripts for evaluation to one of the following services: World Education Services (www.wes.org) or Josef Silny & Associates (www.jsilny.com).
17. Critical care registered nurse certification (CCRN) preferred.

Students dismissed from a nurse anesthesia or other advanced practice nurse program for academic, clinical, or behavioral reasons, will not be admitted to LMU CSON BSN-DNP NA option. Students who are enrolled in another program in good standing or who withdrew or left a program in good standing will be considered for admission. The prospective applicant will be required to obtain a letter of good standing from the previous program.

Additional Information for the Post-Bachelor's DNP:

DNP Program: Nurse Anesthesia Concentration – No nursing credit may be transferred into the DNP Program: Nurse Anesthesia Concentration.

Applicants are reviewed for the graduate program upon completion of all admission requirements. If a student chooses to interrupt the NURS course sequence for any reason an admission application must be submitted to the Graduate Nursing Office. Readmission to the DNP program is not guaranteed.

Immunization Information/Requirements

Immunizations must be completed prior to matriculation into the DNP program. The exception is a documented contraindication or precaution to the vaccine. The student will need a written statement from the health care provider that identifies the immunization and the reason for exclusion. The student will not be allowed to attend class or practice experience if immunizations are not current, or proof of immunizations are not provided. The appropriate information must be provided and maintained during the nursing program by the students’ primary care provider (physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant). The following information/guidelines may be changed to reflect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) most current guidelines. These guidelines are found on www.cdc.gov.

Accepted students must submit a completed medical profile form, immunization record, background check and urine screen prior to matriculation. Students must have and maintain for the duration of the program: unencumbered RN license, current infant, children, and adult CPR certification, health insurance, and current immunization according to the CDC guidelines. 

See DNP student handbook for further details.

Graduate Course Numbers

Graduate courses are 500-level and above.

Evaluation Methods

Mastery of didactic content will be evaluated by a combination of in-class exams, on-line exams, application of content in graded case studies, oral and web-based presentations, as well as written papers and protocols. The combination of evaluative methods will vary from course to course and will be clearly explicated in course syllabi. The evaluative strategies of individual courses are designed to measure students’ attainment of course objectives. Criteria for evaluation of written assignments appear in the syllabus for each course.

Assignments will be returned to students in a timely fashion. Students will receive individualized feedback to facilitate improvement and progress. Each student's progress is reviewed periodically during, and at the end of, each semester. Evaluation is based on the student's performance on examinations, other assignments, and in the practice or laboratory setting. If a student's performance is judged to be borderline or failing during a course, the faculty member will discuss this with the student and advise the student regarding how to remediate.

Attendance Requirement

Attendance is mandatory for any lecture, lab, practice, and online activities. Refer to the individual course syllabus for additional information.

Graduate Grading Scale:

The LMU grading system is based on a four-point scale. The grading scale for the Graduate MSN and DNP Programs is as follows:

Incompletes:

A grade of Incomplete (“I”) may be given in circumstances where the student has successfully completed the majority of the coursework and the instructor determines that exceptional circumstances warrant extending the time for the student to complete the required work. In order to receive an “I”, the student and course instructor must negotiate a contract containing a timeline specifying the date(s) by which remaining coursework will be completed (including deficit practice hours) and specifying the written assignments or examinations to be completed. The form for documenting a contract for an “I” is found in the Forms Section of the DNP Student Handbook. It is the responsibility of the student to monitor progress towards completion of the contract to remove the Incomplete and to arrange for make- up assignments, exams, labs, or practice hours.

If a grade change request has not been submitted by the instructor by the required date, the “I” grade automatically becomes an “F” on the student’s transcript.

In general, an “I” grade in any sequential nursing course must be removed by the end of the first six weeks of the next semester in order for the student to continue enrollment in the next nursing course in the sequence.

Refer to the DNP Student Handbook for additional information.

Practice Evaluation Methods

Students and faculty maintain ongoing dialog regarding practice experiences and individual performance. Dialog may occur in class, via practice logs or journals, via web-based communications, or in individual meetings as appropriate. Formal evaluations will occur in each practice course. Practice evaluation tools (student version, faculty version, and preceptor/facilitator version) are used to structure the formal evaluations. Some written assignments will be based on current practice data or cases (with all identifying data removed). Feedback regarding the development of diagnostic reasoning and practice management skills will be provided. Practice performance is graded individually, and should a student fail a practice course, the student will be dismissed from the program.

Practice Failure: The instructor will seek input on practice performance from the preceptor/ facilitator; however, final responsibility for the student’s grade is retained by the LMU-CSON faculty.

Academic Advisement

Each student is assigned an academic advisor according to his/her chosen concentration of study. The academic advisor assists the student in selecting appropriate courses for each academic semester. The student bears ultimate responsibility for effective planning, progression, and completion of all requirements for the chosen degree, but the academic advisor can give valuable direction and encouragement. The graduate student and the academic advisor are responsible for making sure that the student has completed all the nursing coursework to sit for the Comprehensive Exam for the DNP-Nurse Anesthesia program. The graduate student should meet with the academic advisor a minimum of once each semester to update and review the plan of progression through the established curriculum.

Graduate Tuition Information for Nursing

Tuition and Fees

The tuition cost to attend Lincoln Memorial University is substantially below the national average. The amounts included in the cost of each semester’s registration are placed on the student’s account in the Finance Office.

Interest charges are added to unpaid balances at the end of each month. All charges are subject to audit and verification. The University reserves the right to correct any error by appropriate additional charges or credits.

Tuition and fees are adjusted annually.

Student Health Insurance: Graduate students are responsible for maintaining health insurance throughout the program.

There is no out-of-state tuition differential. Failure to pay tuition and fees may lead to professional collection agency efforts to enforce payment. In such cases, the student is responsible for all collection costs and expenses incurred by the University, including reasonable attorney fees.

See the LMU Graduate Catalog for additional information.