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Doctoral Degrees in Nursing
American Sentinel University offers an online Doctor of Nursing Practice program for nurse leaders and educators seeking a practice-focused degree that will help them gain the credibility, management skills, credentials and industry knowledge they need in today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment. Our DNP degree program features the flexibility of online learning, experienced faculty with significant nursing leadership and educational experience, and a nationwide representation of students to learn and grow with.
COVID-19: We’ve implemented course accommodations to support you while you are doing so much to care for your communities.
94%
Stated They Could Apply What They Learned To Their Job
92%
Received
Personal Support
98%
Were Satisfied with Their Studies at American Sentinel
96%
Would Recommend American Sentinel to a Friend
Sources: Biannual Student Survey 2019
Choose from four Online DNP Program Specializations:
DNP, Educational Leadership
Leadership-focused specialization that prepares faculty, program directors and deans to lead nursing education programs. The online DNP Educational Leadership, one of only a few, includes curriculum development, technology and simulation, assessment and more.
DNP, Executive Leadership
Leadership-focused specialization that equips master’s-educated nurses with the marketable, critical thinking skills they need to immediately step into executive roles in healthcare systems. It is ideal for executives and managers who currently hold or intend to pursue executive leadership positions in healthcare organizations during their careers.
DNP, Professional Leadership
A custom specialization that enables advanced practice nurses to select the courses that fit their goals (instead of a pre-determined plan). Students choose seven specialization courses from any specialty including education, leadership and informatics.
DNP, Informatics Leadership
One of a select few online programs that enable nurses with informatics experience to combine their passion for nursing with their skills in technology and data. Nurse informaticists often serve as the clinical health IT advisor to the executive leadership team, educating them on application use and change implementation for optimized patient care. Applicants must have a minimum of one year of full-time work experience in an informatics or technology-based nursing leadership role within the last five years.
If you are interested in the DNP, executive leadership or informatics leadership specializations you are not required to have an MSN degree. However, you must hold a master’s in another discipline and complete a three-course bridge program and 400 practice hours. For more information about our bridge program please call our admissions team at 866.922.5690.
DNP Graduate Discusses How To Choose The Right School For You
Tammy Martineau, an American Sentinel University alumna discusses her experience in the DNP, Educational Leadership program. She is a nursing educator who discusses the major areas to consider when choosing a school for your terminal nursing degree.
DNP Practice Experiences
To be at the forefront of nursing education, we not only strive to meet accreditors’ guidelines, but we also work to meet the needs of our nursing students. Practice Experiences are an important part of our DNP program. These experiences are built into the courses and do not add additional work. Instead, they offer more interactive learning assignments.
TYPES OF PRACTICE EXPERIENCES (PEs)
- PRACTICE LEARNING EXPERIENCES (PLE): Course assignments that allow you to use what you learned in the online classroom out in the real world
- PRECEPTED PRACTICE EXPERIENCES (PPE): Course assignments that take place in the workplace or other healthcare settings.
- CAPSTONE HOURS (CH): Practice experience hours in the DNP program that are earned during scholarly work on your project
- Students are required to secure availability and access/permission to an acceptable location/site to fulfill the practice experience and DNP project requirements of the program. Most of our students use their place of employment for their practice experience site. Your admissions advisor can provide guidance on finding a practice experience site.
- Practice experience hours requirements: Program applicants who provide evidence of clinical or practicum hours from a MSN or other nursing -specific degree will have the potential to transfer a percentage of those hours ( maximum 400 hours) towards the required 1000 practicum hours to graduate from the DNP program. Note: If, you have under 400 hours; we’ll assist you with a virtual workroom to make up those hours.
Read more about practice experiences >>
Questions about practice experiences? Contact your Admissions Advisor at admissions@americansentinel.edu or by phone at 303.557.9946 for more details.
What our students say about their experience:
“The DNP program has exceeded every expectation I had,” she says. “Everything has been so relevant to what I do in my job, but at the same time, I’ve gained a lot of new knowledge that’s pushed me outside of my comfort zone. All this learning gives me energy.”
DNP, Educational Leadership graduate, 2019
"Every class I took in my DNP program had to do with something I was doing at work. The program curriculum is relevant and applicable to the work I do in my own classroom."
DNP, Educational Leadership graduate, 2019
"I loved the program's flexibility to choose courses that I'm interested in and combine my education experience with my other experience. American Sentinel seemed like a high-quality institution with a great system in place. The affordability, the enrollment process, the staff - everything impressed me."
DNP Professional Leadership student, 2019
