Doctor of Nursing Practice Program - Felician College - Overview
Programs of Study
Felician College's Doctor of Nursing Practice prepares graduates to design clinical nursing improvements, use systems thinking as a framework for quality improvement and organizational change initiatives, and change practice based upon analysis of current evidence. They emerge from the program equipped to implement health policy initiatives that focus on clinical prevention and population health for vulnerable populations.
The curriculum is based upon core competencies and recommended curricula from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice. Students complete 1 of 2 tracks, focusing either on Advanced Practice or Executive Leadership. The program culminates in an intensive and rigorous DNP project that emphasizes key competency areas including translation of research, evaluation of evidence, application of clinical innovations to advance healthcare delivery, and dissemination of knowledge to improve practice.
Scientific theory, conceptual models and knowledge construction, organizational and leadership management for quality and safety, business and financial resource management, healthcare advocacy in global political and social systems, and information technology to improve healthcare outcomes are all core concepts that graduates of the program are prepared to apply within their work environments.
The program spans 7 semesters (just 2 years), during which students complete 40 credits and the designated practicum hours for their DNPs. The theoretical content of the program is offered online via computer-mediated instruction from faculty members certified in distance education, allowing for flexibility and convenience to working professionals. Students also complete on-campus, credit-bearing intensives, providing periods of close work with the school's committed faculty members.
Research Facilities
A center for child care and simulated nursing practice is available on the Lodi campus. The first floor is devoted to a well-equipped Child Care Center for the convenience of students and faculty members. The upper floor houses the Nursing Resource and Simulation Laboratory, which provides a simulated hospital setting for the clinical training of students in the nursing programs.
The College Library is a two-story building that serves the needs of students, faculty and staff members, and alumni with more than 110,000 books and over 800 periodical subscriptions. This collection is enhanced by large holdings of materials in microform, which can be used on the library's reader/printer equipment. With its computers linked to information services such as DIALOG and OCLC, and as a member of the New Jersey Library Network and VALE, the library locates and obtains information, journal articles, and books not available in its collection from sources all over the country. Computerized databases can also be accessed directly by users through the online First Search workstation, where up-to-date information on 40 million books and an index of 15,000 periodicals is available. The library is also connected to the Internet and has several CD-ROM workstations. Through EBSCOhost, Bell & Howell's Proquest, CINAHL, and other services, students and faculty and staff members have access to numerous online journal indexes -- as well as articles from thousands of periodicals -- from anywhere on the campus computer network or from their home computers. An experienced staff of professional librarians is available to assist users.
The college's computer facilities include an academic and administrative network, 4 computerized labs, a computerized learning center, and 2 computer centers that are available for students, with a total of about 200 computers available for student/faculty member use. All classrooms, offices, and facilities are wired for Internet and e-mail.
Financial Aid
Fellowships and loans are available. To qualify for financial aid, a student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Cost of Study
In 2011-12, graduate tuition is $875 per credit. Fees are additional.
Living and Housing Costs
Students are housed in 2 dormitories on the Rutherford campus, Milton and Elliott Halls. Both buildings have housing organized around student suites containing semiprivate baths. On-campus room and board is approximately $10,750 per year. On-campus housing is not available to married students.
Student Group
Felician College enrolls approximately 2,300 students. In fall 2010 there were approximately 350 students enrolled in graduate programs.
Location
Felician College's Lodi campus is located on the banks of the Saddle River on a beautifully landscaped campus of 27 acres. It offers a collegiate setting in suburban Bergen County, within easy driving distance of New York City. The Felician College Rutherford Campus is set on 10.5 beautifully landscaped acres in the heart of the historic community of Rutherford, New Jersey. Only 15 minutes from the Lodi campus, the Rutherford complex contains student residences, classroom buildings, a student center, and a gymnasium. The campus is a short distance from downtown Rutherford, where there are many shops and businesses of interest to students.
The College
Felician College, a coeducational liberal arts college, is a Catholic, private, independent institution for students representing diverse religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. The college operates on 2 campuses in Lodi and Rutherford, New Jersey. The college is one of the institutions of higher learning conducted by the Felician Sisters in the United States. Its mission is to provide a values-oriented education based in the liberal arts while it prepares students for meaningful lives and careers in contemporary society. To meet the needs of students and to provide personal enrichment courses to matriculated and non-matriculated students, Felician College offers day, evening, and weekend programs. The college is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and carries program accreditation from the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences and the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education.
Applying
Applicants must be licensed as registered professional nurses in New Jersey or the state in which they will complete their clinical practicums, and must have earned minimum cumulative GPAs of 3.0 in previous graduate coursework. Successful completion of an undergraduate or graduate level statistics course and a graduate level advanced nursing research course is also required for each student.
For students outside of New Jersey, some states require program approval (permission to operate) for students to participate in clinical practice in hospitals and private practice settings within those states. Students are encouraged to check with the Program Associate Dean to identify specific state requirements prior to enrolling in the program.
The Executive Leadership track requires a master's degree in nursing or a related field (i.e., MBA, MPA, MHA), a portfolio assessment, and current professional practice in the nurse executive role.
Applicants to the Advanced Practice track must have completed Master of Science in Nursing degrees through nationally accredited programs, have earned national certifications in specialties, be licensed as advanced practice nurses, and must have current professional practice in the advanced practice role.
Each applicant must submit his or her completed application, the $40 nonrefundable application fee, all official academic transcripts, a curriculum vitae, and a 2 to 3 page essay identifying professional goals and congruency with doctoral study. Applicants must also submit copies of all licensure held as registered professional nurses, including New Jersey, and/or the states of the clinical practicums. A licensee cannot have any pending disciplinary action against his or her nursing license from any Board of Nursing. International credential requirements are reviewed on an individual basis.
The Faculty
For specific information regarding the faculty members of Felician College, please visit the College's Web site at http://www.felician.edu/.