Nurse Practitioners (NPs), are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN), academically prepared and employed as primary care and/or acute care providers in the U.S. health care system. In the University of Pittsburgh Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program applicants may select to be prepared in one of six specialty areas. NPs blend clinical expertise in health management and disease prevention to offer a wholistic perspective to health care. In addition, they use counseling and teaching skills to assist patients to make smarter lifestyle choices. This approach has been shown to lower healthcare costs and reduce hospitalizations. Nurse practitioners serve as primary care providers in clinics, hospitals, home health care services, and outpatient care centers – many in traditionally underserved communities and regions. NPs are educationally prepared to autonomously diagnose and treat conditions, prescribe medications and order and interpret diagnostic tests, design treatment plans with patients, and teach patients about managing illnesses and understanding how to use their medications. State laws govern certification requirements and scope of practice: updated information can be found here. The U.S. government estimates that employment of nurse practitioners will grow by 35% by 2024
In 2018 the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) made the commitment to move all entry-level nurse practitioner education to the DNP degree by 2025. The University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing's six NP areas of concentration are listed below:
Nurse Practitioner BSN to DNP on-site
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care
- Adult-Gerontology Primary Care
- Family (Individual Across the Lifespan)
- Neonatal
- Pediatric Primary Care
- Psychiatric Mental Health
Primary Care Nurse Practitioner BSN to DNP Distance Education format (for qualified on-site students as per Policy 438)
Nurse Practitioner MSN to DNP on-site and online (Beginning Fall 2017, out-of-state tuition rates for online cohorts will match the in-state rate, the online option is only available to applicants with a master’s degree in same focus)
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care
- Adult-Gerontology Primary Care
- Family (individual Across the Lifespan)
- Neonatal
- Pediatric Primary Care
- Psychiatric Mental Health
Graduates of the NP major are eligible to sit for discipline-specific national certification exams. The particular course of study, credit and clinical requirements, and certifications are outlined on each of the concentrations’ Web pages. Each concentration calls for the successful completion of a comprehensive examination (BSN to DNP) and a culminating DNP project (BSN and MSN to DNP), which will address a quality improvement issue.
Degree Program Application Deadlines
Applying for Admission
Graduate Clearances
Tuition and Fees
Accreditation Statement:
The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org)
from 02/24/2014 through 12/31/2024