Improving Health Care Through DNP Education

PI: Susan Flagler

Susan Flagler DNS, RNC Associate Professor Family and Child Nursing Box Box 357262 University of Washington Seattle, WA 98195-7262 Email: susanf@u.washington.edu

• Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration
• Project Period: 7/1/2006 - 3/31/2012
• Current Faculty
  • Susan Flagler - Principal Investigator (1 active projects)
  • Michele Acker - Key Personnel (1 active projects)
  • Marie-Annette Brown - Key Personnel (1 active projects)
  • Christine Hoyle - Key Personnel (1 active projects)
  • Diane Magyary - Key Personnel (3 active projects)

The purpose of this project is to enhance advanced nursing education and practice through a new program of study leading to a practice-oriented doctoral degree called the Doctor of Nursing Practice [DNP]. The University of Washington [UW] School of Nursing (SON) will develop, implement, and evaluate a DNP program. Graduates will assume roles as advanced practice nurses [APNs]. Today APNs are indispensable providers of health care who face critical challenges while providing care due to the increasingly complexity of patients’ illnesses and health conditions, changing patient demographics of more elderly people with multiple health problems, and health care delivery systems poorly structured to meet patients needs. The DNP will enhance APNs ability to provide innovative, patient-centered, culturally informed, evidence-based, interdisciplinary, and cost/outcome effective care while utilizing information technology and expanded research skills. DNP graduates will serve patients, families, and communities in health and illness and provide leadership in meeting the evolving needs of society. The specific goals of the project are: 1) Improve health outcomes by preparing post-masters students in a new DNP program to increase the DNP nurse educator workforce; 2) Develop and implement a new DNP program for Adult/Family/Pediatric Nurse Practitioners to provide high quality, evidence-based, outcome-effective, culturally competent health care and increase the NP work force; 3) Increase access to DNP education in the state and region by establishing collaborations with other nursing programs. This will enhance the supply, diversity, composition, and distribution of DNP graduates who work as APNs across the state and region.