The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree with a Family Nurse Practitioner concentration is the first and only program of its kind currently offered by a University of California campus. Our program is designed for BS and MS prepared nurses to achieve a doctoral degree with a FNP concentration in a compact and comprehensive three-year program. As rigorous as it is rewarding, the DNP – FNP program prepares graduates for autonomous family practice and interprofessional leadership at the highest level.
- Complete the doctoral program in 3 years
- Compact, all-in-one terminal-degree
- Highly accessible online and hybrid courses with synchronous and asynchronous sessions
- Inter-professional learning environment that leverages collaboration with the School of Medicine, Program in Public Health and the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Planned, highly focused on-campus cohort sessions hosted once per quarter
- Clinical practice opportunities alongside expert NP faculty
- FNP certification eligibility
- You are passionate about providing comprehensive health care to diverse populations
- You are passionate about educating and guiding individuals and families through complex health and situational transitions
- You want to lead improvements in health care and health care policy for individuals, families, and populations
- You desire to develop expert competency for complex practice, faculty, and leadership roles
Core knowledge
- Graduate students will demonstrate advanced nursing practice knowledge as nurse practitioners in the concentrations of Family and Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner.
Research methods and analyses
- Evaluate and integrate research evidence as a cornerstone of clinical practice.
- Participate in the ongoing monitoring and analysis of health care quality and safety systems in clinical practice.
Scholarly communication and pedagogy
- Participate in professional pedagogy consistent with evidence-based practice
- Provide health teaching and supportive counseling with an emphasis on prevention of illness, health maintenance, and chronic disease management.
- Collaborate with other health care professionals to provide interdisciplinary care.
Professionalism
- Manage and negotiate a variety of health care systems with an emphasis on medically vulnerable and underserved populations.
- Analyze local, state, and national health policy, legislative and regulatory trends, and their implications for clinical practice.
Clinical practice
- Conduct comprehensive health and psychosocial assessments in a culturally sensitive manner for a specific population, including a detailed health history and complete physical examination.
- Order and interpret diagnostic tests and procedures.
- Differentiate, diagnose, and manage acute and chronic health problems.
- Prescribe and manage pharmacotherapeutic agents and other therapies.
Curriculum
The DNP – FNP program, for both BS and MS applicants, is a three-year hybrid commitment. This means students will participate online in asynchronous and synchronous sessions with the instructors and cohort. To respect the career status of each one of our students, the program only requires one highly focused on-campus session each quarter along with mandatory attendance to the Prologue, Intersession, and Epilogue for the didactic portion of the program.
The DNP – FNP curriculum provides education in organizational and systems leadership, research and analytical methods, health care policy, interprofessional practice, clinical prevention, and population health to prepare our graduates for a multi-faceted and rounded approach to health care improvement. Practice expertise in patient care is incorporated throughout the program. Students will complete a total of 1,020 hours of clinical and professional practice.
Students will develop their abilities throughout the program and apply their knowledge in the DNP Scholarly Project – a capstone project of original work that establishes the student as a UCI Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing clinical scholar.
Download sample schedule of classes
Follow Us!