The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program within Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences recently received the maximum accreditation of five years for a new program by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

The DNP is a new online program to TCU that prepares students to translate existing research into practice. Graduates then assume clinical leadership positions in a variety of healthcare, business, government and educational organizations. It is the only program in Texas that offers a track for all four types of advanced practice nurses: clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists and certified nurse midwives. There is also a track available for nurse administrators.

According to the DNP program’s director, Kathy Baker, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, CGRN, FAAN, the various tracks offered provide an opportunity for more interactivity amongst the students that better prepares them for working together in a professional setting.

“We are honored to have received the maximum accreditation from CCNE,” said Baker. “Since the program’s inception we’ve known that our outstanding faculty, students and curriculum meet the highest standards in the nation, but it is truly a wonderful feeling to have received confirmation of that from the CCNE.”

According to Baker, the DNP program was benchmarked with 17 similar DNP programs across the United States, seven of which are Carnegie Foundation institutions. In addition, a recent survey of TCU DNP students showed that the program was marked ahead of the national benchmark on every item – all 30 of them.

The program will graduate its third class in May 2011.

For more information about TCU’s DNP program through the Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences, visit www.dnp.tcu.edu.