Nursing Practice, DNP (Online)

Latina Brooks, PhD, CNP, FAANP, Post-Baccalaureate/APRN DNP Program Director

Jesse Honsky, DNP, MPH, RN, PHNA-BC , Post-Master's DNP Program Director

Email: dnpasst@case.edu

Phone: 216.368.1907


Degree: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)


Program Overview

The online Doctor of Nursing Practice Program (DNP) is available to students enrolled in the executive and educational leadership sequences.  The DNP innovative academic program designed to prepare nurses for leadership positions in advanced nursing practice roles. The Post-Master's DNP program is flexible in meeting the needs of distance education students, with a remote-hybrid format and cohort model that has partnerships with institutions around the country.  

The Post-Master's DNP program admits students at two different stages in order to accommodate students with diverse educational backgrounds.

  • Post-Licensure DNP (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) stage: Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree awarded).  This entry point into the DNP program is designed for registered nurses entering the MSN program. Students who apply to the MSN and DNP programs at the same time follow a blended curriculum in which students begin taking DNP courses while in the Masters’ program. Students are awarded an MSN degree when they complete MSN requirements and then continue with additional DNP courses. After receiving the MSN degree, students may sit for the certification exam in their advanced practice specialty and then apply to a Board of Nursing for credentials to practice as an APRN. Students already enrolled in the MSN program may also apply to the DNP program during the MSN program but are required to complete courses from both programs.
  • Post-Master's DNP (Practice Doctorate stage; DNP degree awarded): This stage of the DNP program prepares nurses with MSN degrees to be clinical leaders at the pinnacle of their field. Students acquire in-depth knowledge in nursing theory, inquiry, policy, and leadership. Most post-masters’ DNP students are already practicing as advanced practice nurses, administrators, or educators. There are two elective sequences available online: Education Leadership and Executive Leadership. 

Learning Outcomes

  • Students integrate nursing science and theory with knowledge and theory from ethics, the biophysical, psychosocial, cultural, and organizational sciences to develop and evaluate new practice approaches.
  • Students demonstrate leadership in the development and evaluation of care delivery approaches that meet current and future needs of patient populations from findings of nursing and other clinical sciences, as well as organizational, political and economic sciences.
  • Students develop and evaluate effective strategies and ensure accountability for leading organizations, addressing quality improvement and patient safety initiatives, and managing ethical dilemmas inherent in patient care and research.
  • Students use analytic methods to critically appraise existing evidence to determine best practices.
  • Students apply relevant findings and use quality improvement methods to develop recommendations to improve practice and the practice environment.
  • Students disseminate findings from evidence-based practice and research to improve health care outcomes.
  • Students evaluate programs that monitor outcomes of care, care systems, and quality improvement including consumer use of health care information systems.
  • Students provide leadership in the evaluation and resolution of ethical and legal issues within health care systems relating to the use of information, information technology, communication networks and patient care technology.
  • Students demonstrate leadership in the critical appraisal, development, and/or implementation of institutional, local, state, federal, and international health policy.
  • Students collaborate using communication, consultative, and leadership skills, with intraprofessional and interprofessional teams to improve quality and safety in health care.
  • Students analyze scientific data and synthesize concepts related to clinical prevention and population health in developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions to address health promotion and disease prevention efforts.