Vision

To develop nurse experts into innovative leaders who will transform practice, reorient the healthcare system, and champion health equity using multi-level approaches in an increasingly complex healthcare landscape.

DNP Program Learning Outcomes:

• Apply nursing science and innovation in order to prepare leaders who develop solutions that will impact access to care, promote social justice and influence system change.  
• Demonstrate advanced levels of clinical judgment, systems thinking, and accountability in the design, delivery, and evaluation of evidence-based care in complex decision making.
• Use analytical methods and information technology to improve population and system outcomes considering legal, financial, ethical, and regulatory issues.
• Analyze practice initiatives in order to develop effective interprofessional strategies to ensure and improve healthcare outcomes for patients and populations in relationship to safety and quality care.

Admission Requirements

• Graduation from a baccalaureate nursing program (BSN), accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Official transcripts from all institutions previously attended
• Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 for full admission, or 2.75 for provisional admission
• Successful completion of a Statistics course and Nursing Research course
• Current RN license in state of Illinois and/or for the state where they plan to do clinical practicum
• Two letters of recommendation from professionals with graduate level education in the student’s area of specialty practice. At least one of the letters of recommendation must be from someone who is doctoral prepared.
• Personal statement in response to a writing prompt
  • How the DNP program will facilitate achievement of the student's short- and long-term goals;
  • How the Lewis University Mission integrates with the student's personal and professional identity; and
  • The area of focus for the DNP scholarly project that is pertinent to practice.
• Interview, by invitation, based on review of application
• A current resume or curriculum vitae