School of Nursing

Director
Deborah Greubel

Adult Gerontology - Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program Director
Brandon King

Family Nurse Practitioner Program Director
Sheryl Stansifer

Clinical Professor
Elmus Beale

Clinical Associate Professor
Deborah Greubel

Clinical Assistant Professors
Brandon King
Jennifer Kuwitzky
Sheryl Stansifer

Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor
Casie Brim

For more information about degree offerings, visit the School of Nursing webpage.

The School of Nursing graduate curriculum leads to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.).

The curriculum combines advanced nursing sciences and intensive clinical training to educate advanced practice nurses who are prepared to provide high quality, appropriate and cost conscious health care. Students in the program learn through a combination of classroom, human patient simulation, and clinical experiences in the community to advance their knowledge and skills in providing modern interprofessional health care.

Learning Objectives

The core D.N.P. curriculum is based on the guidelines set forth by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice that denotes eight essential broad competencies to be met by the D.N.P. Program graduates. Program Learning Outcomes are program specific.

Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.):

Evaluate outcomes of evidence based research and design appropriate interventions for specialized area of advanced nursing practice to improve the health of individuals, aggregates, and populations.

Apply advanced concepts of leadership and advocacy to influence policy, health systems, and consumerism in order to effect population health service improvement.
Integrate cultural sensitivity through an awareness of global health concerns to decrease health disparities.
Initiate resolutions to ethical dilemmas arising from system of organizational conflict.
Synthesizes nursing research and integration of best practice for change in professional practice based on scientific underpinnings for practice.
Develop and evaluate new practice approaches based on nursing theory and theories borrowed from other disciplines.
Demonstrate expertise in practice as an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner.
Design comprehensive care for patients from adolescent to end-of life with complex acute, critical and chronic illness, disability, and/or injury utilizing innovative, evidenced based methods.

Family Nurse Practitioner, Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.):

Evaluate outcomes of evidence based research and design appropriate interventions for specialized area of advanced nursing practice to improve the health of individuals, aggregates, and populations.
Apply advanced concepts of leadership and advocacy to influence policy, health systems, and consumerism in order to effect population health service improvement.
Integrate cultural sensitivity through an awareness of global health concerns to decrease health disparities.
Initiate resolutions to ethical dilemmas arising from system of organizational conflict.
Synthesizes nursing research and integration of best practice for change in professional practice based on scientific underpinnings for practice.
Develop and evaluate new practice approaches based on nursing theory and theories borrowed from other disciplines.
Demonstrate expertise in practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Design comprehensive care for complex patients across the lifespan utilizing innovative, evidenced based methods.

Post-Master’s to D.N.P. Completion, Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.):

Evaluate outcomes of evidence based research and design appropriate interventions for specialized area of advanced nursing practice to improve the health of individuals, aggregates, and populations.
Apply advanced concepts of leadership and advocacy to influence policy, health systems, and consumerism in order to effect population health service improvement.
Integrate cultural sensitivity through an awareness of global health concerns to decrease health disparities.
Initiate resolutions to ethical dilemmas arising from system of organizational conflict.
Synthesize nursing research and integration of best practice for change in professional practice based on scientific underpinnings for practice.
Develop and evaluate new practice approaches based on nursing theory and theories borrowed from other disciplines.
Demonstrate expertise in an area of specialized advanced nursing practice.
Design comprehensive care for patients in the student’s advanced practice role and population of certification utilizing innovative, evidenced based methods.

Accreditation

The D.N.P. program is eligible to begin the candidacy process by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326. The School of Nursing is a member of the National League for Nursing and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Graduates of the program will be eligible to apply to sit for national board certification in their respective field of study after accreditation is granted by the ACEN.

Advanced Practice Certification

The D.N.P. program is approved by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing. Graduates of the program are eligible to apply to sit for national board certification in their respective field of study.

The University of Tulsa cannot guarantee that completion of the D.N.P. program will enable a student to take the National Certification exam if the student has a previous arrest or conviction record. The Nurse Practice Act varies from state to state regarding arrests or convictions. States may prohibit nursing licensure due to violent misdemeanors or due to felony convictions. If seeking licensure in another state, contact the board of nursing in that state regarding arrest or conviction records.

Admission

Students apply to all graduate nursing programs through NursingCAS. To apply, create an account and search for the appropriate program at The University of Tulsa.

To apply for the DNP Program, applicants must submit the following:

Copies of all academic transcripts showing undergraduate and graduate coursework.
Two letters of recommendation; one written by an advanced practice nurse and one written by a nursing supervisor.
Documentation of a current, unencumbered Oklahoma Registered Nurse license.
Evidence of appropriate clinical experience
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care - minimum of one-year high acuity acute care nursing experience
- Family Nurse Practitioner - at least one-year full time nursing experience
- Post-Master’s to DNP completion - certification and experience as an Advanced Practice Nurse
TOEFL or IELTS scores along with transcripts accompanied by a certified English translation. (International students only)

After your application through NursingCAS is complete, you will submit a separate online application and $55 application fee to The University of Tulsa Graduate School.

The TU system will prompt you to create an account and submit a separate application form and set of supplemental materials in addition to what was submitted through NursingCAS. Both applications and all supplemental materials must be submitted before a decision can finalized for admission to the program.

If you have any questions or problems with the TU Graduate School application link, please contact grad-ga@utulsa.edu or 918-631-2336.

Applications are reviewed throughout the spring and summer until spaces are filled. Applications are reviewed as they are received and potential candidates will be scheduled for an interview.

Faculty will evaluate all applications once the items listed above have been submitted. Qualified applicants will be invited for an interview.

Admitted students will begin the program during the fall semester. Students must take the required courses offered each semester to stay in the program. The majority of the courses are face-to-face courses, but some are hybrid courses to provide opportunities for students to integrate their traditional course work with their clinical rotations.

Admission Requirements

Current unencumbered Oklahoma Registered Nurse license
A bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) from an accredited nursing program
Recommended overall GPA of 3.0.
Further requirements are track specific:
AG-ACNP - minimum of one-year high-acuity acute care nursing experience
FNP- minimum of one-year full time nursing experience
MS to DNP completion - certification and experience as an Advance Practice Nurse (CRNA, FNP, AG-ACNP).

Progression of Students

Progression of D.N.P. students is dependent upon completion of required curriculum while maintaining a 3.0 G.P.A. Should a student fail to fulfill one or more of the program requirements at the end of the semester, the student will be notified in writing by the Director of the School of Nursing of his/her continuing status in the program. Because of the sequential nature of the curriculum, a grade below C in any course is grounds for non-progression and the student may be referred to the Graduate College for dismissal from the program.

Courses in the D.N.P. program are required and must be completed in sequential order for the specific track. The clinical practicum for each clinical track will build on the advanced sciences, simulation, and didactic preparation.

The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) clinical practicum begins the fall of the second year, with 300 hours for three semesters, followed by 100 hours in the fall of the final year. The FNP track requires a total of 1000 clinical practice hours in addition to high fidelity simulation.
The Adult Gerontology Acute Care (AG-ACNP) clinical practicum begins the fall of the second year. The track requires a minimum 200 clinical hours per semester over five semesters. Students will complete a minimum of 1000 hours, but may elect to do more based on specialty interest. Clinical time will be in addition to advanced high fidelity simulation during the course of the training.
The Post-Master’s to D.N.P. completion track builds on previous academic work and practice experience. Students complete 24 credit hours of core D.N.P. research and theory courses, and five hours of D.N.P. project building courses. This course plan includes 500 supervised clinical practice hours for the implementation and completion of the D.N.P. project in the clinical setting.

The final D.N.P. project may be at the individual or system level. Students will identify a need within their field during their first four semesters of study. Their project will be built and conducted over the course of the remaining semesters. Their final work will be the disseminated as a demonstration of the culmination of their work; for example, introduction of a validated clinical assessment tool into a new healthcare system, with analysis of its effect on care improvement. Students will not create original research, but instead demonstrate proficiency in the application of existing science through translational research. Students will complete a final D.N.P. project that is the culmination of their scholarship and project implementation using the translation of existing science into practice to improve health.

Clinical Sites and Preceptors

Students will complete clinical rotations in healthcare facilities in Tulsa and the Tulsa region. Clinical Preceptors are selected by faculty for their ability to demonstrate and teach professional leadership and competent patient care.

Students must submit the following documentation before they will be able to begin clinical rotations:

Immunizations, including MMR, Hepatitis B, Varicella, TB test, flu shot;
Drug screen using the 10 panel by a SAMHSA Certified Lab;
Criminal background check including Oklahoma Department of Corrections Sex Offenders Registration;
Signed Performance Standards for Admission and Progression form; and
BLS for Healthcare Providers certification.

The Hurricane Health Clinic, an interprofessional health clinic, is located within the Oxley College of Health Sciences and is used as a clinical training site. The clinic provides students the opportunity to provide healthcare across the continuum of life over a long duration of time, and collaborate with other health, legal and social service professionals. The practice setting offers students the ability to develop the skills needed to take this model into the community upon graduation.

Programs

Doctoral

Courses

Nursing