What Makes Our Program Distinct?
- Students gain clinical experience with expert clinicians at highly-regarded children’s hospitals, a diverse array of primary care and specialty clinics, and schools and child care settings where collaboration and care coordination are emphasized.
- Each student benefits from institution-arranged placements, secured with trusted preceptors to match their interests and professional goals.
- Faculty are active pediatric providers and nationally recognized for their expertise in clinical education, health equity, and quality improvement in public health settings.
- Students join close-knit cohorts that remain highly engaged with the School of Nursing beyond graduation
- Students are prepared for expertise in child and family development with an added emphasis on caring for children with special health care needs across settings of care. Students are eligible for the Disability Policy & Services Certificate, offered through the Institute on Community Integration.
- The care of individuals and families from diverse backgrounds is emphasized, with a strong focus on caring for those who have chronic illnesses or disabilities.
All students who complete required coursework for the pediatric nurse practitioner primary care DNP program are also eligible for the Disability Policy & Services Certificate, offered through the Institute on Community Integration.
Information sessions
What are Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Primary Care students prepared to do upon graduation?
- Provide primary and specialty care to infants, children, adolescents and young adults
- Practice as pediatric primary care nurse practitioners in clinics, hospitals, schools and community health settings
- Serve as faculty members in schools of nursing
- Create policies and advocate for children and families at local, state and national level
- Expand the knowledge in the field through nursing scholarship
- Participate in and lead quality improvement initiatives in health care settings
Are students expected to find their own preceptors?
Pediatric faculty have long-term relationships with many preceptors in the area and we focus on a good match with student to preceptor. Faculty may ask for student assistance with possible clinical placement locations if the student lives outside of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
How much do students typically work in the program?
Students who work less than half time tend to be most successful (not including weekdays). During the 3rd year final semester students will have 3 full days a week of clinical and one day of class, so even half time workload in that semester is very difficult. The expectation for students in the program is that they are available Monday through Friday for pairing time with clinical preceptors.
What is the DNP project?
The University of Minnesota School of Nursing has been instrumental in designing a true systems improvement project since the inception of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The DNP Project is about translating research into practice and we engage with our community partners to develop projects that address emerging health care needs.
Components of the DNP project include:
- Student identification of a systems based, quality improvement problem in health care
- Implementation of a sustainable, evidence based solution to address the problem
- Evaluation of process and outcome objectives of the project
- Completion of a paper that describes the project and outcomes
- Dissemination of the project outcomes, learning and sustainability plans
Will students have a faculty advisor and/or a mentor?
Cheri Friedrich, program coordinator, serves as students’ faculty mentor for the first year. After that, students are assigned a new faculty member who will guide them through their DNP project.
Are Teaching Assistant opportunities available to DNP students?
Yes! Many of our DNP students serve as Teaching Assistants for the School of Nursing to develop nurse educator skills and earn tuition remission.
Tuition is covered based on the percent appointment. Below are some examples:
15% TA—approximately 30% of tuition covered
25% TA—approximately 50% of tuition covered
30% TA—approximately 60% of tuition covered
50% TA—100% of tuition covered
Teaching Assistants provide mentorship in three areas – in the skills lab coaching students through simulations, in classroom settings supporting faculty, and in clinical settings supporting students in their clinical rotations.
Certifications
Successful completion of required DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Primary Care coursework and practice hours provides eligibility to take the PNP Certification Examination through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board.