Clinical Requirements

Students admitted to the Post-Master’s DNP program are required to complete 500 preceptor supervised hours in their practice specialty (Informatics, Leadership, APRN), from their masters program as verified by the clinical verification process. At least 120 [receptor supervised hours must be completed in their masters program to be  considered for admission. 

These practicum hours are in alignment with the AACN 2021 Essentials for doctoral education and are a  DNP program requirement  from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the organization that accredits our DNP program.

To facilitate this process, students will need to request from their Master’s degree-granting academic institution completion of the Clinical Hours Verification Form (PDF) to verify the number of preceptor-supervised clinical hours earned during completion of the Master’s degree.

The academic institution will need to submit this completed form to the UMN School of Nursing (gophernursing@umn.edu) for inclusion in the application for admission.  The clinical hour verification form must be received by the School of Nursing for the application to be considered complete and move forward with admission consideration.

Students will work with their DNP program advisor and the DNP Program Director to choose various clinical course options in the DNP program to fulfill their clinical requirement.

Post-master’s clinical courses 

Post-Master’s clinical courses are designed to meet the needs of experienced advanced nursing professionals and apply knowledge and skills learned in the DNP Program’s didactic courses or provide practice-expanding clinical opportunities.

Clinical course options include systems-level clinical experiences in Interprofessional quality improvement, implementation of evidence-based practice, health innovation and leadership, health policy, Interprofessional team-based care, informatics and data mining, and integrative health modalities (e.g. Reiki, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, etc.).

Clinical courses are 1 to 2 credits each (1 credit = 120 hours; 2 credits = 240 hours).

Post-Master's DNP Practicum Opportunities (PDF)