There are many benefits of the DNP for the profession of nursing, for the public and for advanced practice nurses, including but not limited to:

• Parity with other health professions who have practice doctorates
• Improved nursing image
• Enhanced knowledge to improve practice
• Enhanced leadership skills to strengthen practice and health care delivery
• Increased numbers of nursing faculty
• Improved patient outcomes

The DNP offers an alternative to research-focused doctoral degrees. It provides clinicians with knowledge and skills necessary in advanced practice. A Ph.D. in Nursing has typically prepared nurses for research careers .

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in agreement with the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties has recommended that the DNP replace the master's degree as the terminal degree needed for advanced practice nursing by 2015. However, this is not a policy directive and each state maintains its own licensure requirements via Boards of Registration in Nursing.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Simmons College is a post-master's entry program designed to prepare advanced practice nurses for clinical and leadership positions within the health care profession. The admission application is a reflection of the candidate's scholarly achievements and clinical expertise and must reflect the competencies and admission criteria outlined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF).

Academic and employment background:

• graduation from a regionally accredited post-secondary U.S.institution
• master's degree in nursing or a related master's degree 
• a minimum 3.5 overall grade point average in the applicant's MS program
• professional employment background as an advanced practice nurse or nurse manager(for Advanced Standing/Bridge program)
• board certification in an advanced practice specialty(for clinical leadership track)
• current nursing licensure (for clinical leadership track)
• two years of full-time clinical practice or managerial experience(for Advanced Standing progam)
• completion of an undergraduate college level statistics course(semester in length;grade of B or better) taken within five years prior to the application deadline at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university. Or, completion of the School of Health Sciences Webstats (with a grade of "pass"), an online course designated for applicants to SHS programs. Non-credit or audited course are not acceptable.

If admitted you will need to possess or have access to a computer and the Internet with at least a 56K modem. You should be comfortable with the use of email, word processing, and internet searches. Self-motivation and working independently are key factors. To determine if your learning style is compatible with on-line learning (this is a hybrid or blended learning program, combining on-line courses with on-site participation), please see our online learning tips.

No

2-4

Core courses will be offered during the academic year. Some courses mayalso be offered during the summer. Students adding a clinical specialty (i.e., FNP, Oncology NP) to the core curriculum may have summer courses.

Individuals may apply for either September(fall) or January(spring)entry. The application deadline for September is June 1 and the application deadline is November 1 for January entry. These dates are not the post mark date;rather when all materials must be received.

Yes you may work with your faculty mentor to arrange this.

You may apply anytime before the June 1 application deadline for September entry or before the November 1 deadline for January entry. Admission decisions are sent as a group after the deadline for each semester.

All decision letters will be sent as a group after the application deadline. There is no rolling decision process.

This program requires a U.S. nursing licensure and clinical experience . If you have or need an F-1 visa to study in the U.S., which requires full-time enrollment, you are not eligible to apply to this program.

In the fall,(semester beginning in September)you may take one  DNP course as a non-degree student:
Ethics(NUR 620), Health Policy(NUR 670) or Informatics(NUR 660) . In the spring(semester beginning in January)
you may take Epidemiology(NUR 650) provided you have completed statistics or Webstats at Simmons; Ethics(NUR 620),if offered.

You can register for these courses by contacting the Office of Admission at 617-521-2605. This must be done no later than one week before the semester begins. The statistics course which is required for admission is not a DNP course and must be completed before admission to the program, as it is a prerequisite for admission. Upon completion of either non-degree course, if you are still interested in the DNP program, you must formally apply for admission to the School of Health Sciences by the designated application deadline dates: June 1 for September entry and November 1 for January entry.

Tuition can be found in the following url
http://www.simmons.edu/shs/admission/finaid/index.shtml