African Journal of Nursing and Midwifery

African Journal of Nursing and Midwifery ISSN 2198-4638 Vol. 2 (6), pp. 257-260, August, 2015. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

A community centered assessment of a doctor of nursing practice curriculum

Michael Elliott, *Harvey E. M and Gwyneth R. Greider

Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of California, Santa Barbara, California.

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 20 July, 2015

Abstract

A school of Nursing in New York State, USA has admitted five cohorts of students to a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) curriculum. A longitudinal evaluation of the DNP curriculum was conducted to assess the inherent value of the DNP program. Survey responses highlighted the benefits of the DNP degree to the professional growth of graduates; the benefits that accrued to clients in selected clinical care situations; and to the health care system, when applied within organizational initiatives and programs. A limited response rate constrained the ability to draw generalizable conclusions to the full cohort of DNP graduates.

Keywords: Doctor of nursing practice, Outcomes evaluation, Community-based assessment, Program evaluation