In recent years, a shrinking number of physicians and an increasing number of seniors than ever have created a perfect storm that has threatened to further strain the already burdened healthcare sector in New York—save for the efforts of its nurse practitioners.
As of 2015, nurse practitioners in the Empire State have enjoyed independent practice, thereby releasing them from the tethers that once tied them to physicians and restricted them from practicing autonomously. Thanks to the passage of this landmark legislation, entitled the Nurse Practitioners Modernization Act, nurse practitioners throughout the state, after earning about two years of full-time experience, can provide independent primary care services to the citizens of New York.
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APRN certification has soared in New York in response to the long-awaited independent practice privileges. According to the New York Office of the Professions, the number of nurse practitioner licenses have risen dramatically from 1,761 in 2015 to 2,664 in in 2019.
Another major change to affect the nursing profession in recent years is the number of nurses pursuing the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). This pinnacle of clinical nursing education has become the coveted degree, both for aspiring APRNs and for practicing APRNs looking to transition into administration or add an additional population focus to their license.
Many New York colleges and universities have responded to the increase in demand for the DNP, and many now offer online options with entry points for both BSN- and MSN-educated nurses. As of 2020, no less than 14 schools in New York offered the DNP.
Earning a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in New York
DNP programs offer two entry points to accommodate both BSN- and MSN-prepared nurses.
Nurses in New York are not limited to just campus-based programs. Online DNP programs, available throughout the U.S., allow students to complete the didactic components of their program through online study and then complete the clinical requirements through clinical sites close to home. (Some online programs may have limitations regarding clinical sites.)
Some online DNP programs require students to attend one or more campus immersion experiences that provide students with opportunities to network with peers and connect with faculty.
New York nurses with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) are able to demonstrate organizational and systems leadership for quality and safety in healthcare systems, apply clinical scholarship, provide leadership for the development of healthcare policy, and much more.
Online and on-site DNP programs (both post-masters and post-bachelors DNP programs) receive accreditation through the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
All accredited programs must incorporate 1,000 practicum hours provide students with an opportunity to focus their course of study in specialty tracks that fall within one of two general areas:
- Advanced practice nursing role (nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetist)
- Aggregate/systems/organizational role (administration, informatics, public health, health policy, executive leadership, education)
DNP Curriculum Requirements and Program Components
DNP Core – DNP programs include a core of courses such as:
- Concepts in population health
- Healthcare quality improvement
- Research and policy for nursing
- Organizational concepts in nursing
- Knowledge management in nursing
- Translating research into practice
Specialty Track Coursework – Additional courses are focused on the DNP specialty track, whether in an advanced patient care role or in an aggregate/systems/organizational focus.
Practicum Hours – National accreditation standards for DNP programs require at least 1,000 hours of post-baccalaureate practicum. As many as 500 hours gained during a master’s program can be applied to the 1,000 hour total.
Final Project – Upon the successful completion of all didactic and clinical requirements, students of DNP programs would complete a final project to represent the culmination of their educational experience.
BSN-DNP Programs: DNP Programs for BSN-Prepared Nurses
BSN-DNP programs, designed for BSN-prepared nurses, encompass the components of both the MSN and DNP in one, streamlined format.
Consisting of between 74 and 90 credits and about four years of study, BSN-DNP programs provide BSN-prepared nurses with the ability to complete their MSN and, depending on their MSN focus, achieve national certification before completing their DNP course of study.
An MSN core includes study in:
- Clinical prevention/population health
- Evidence-based practice
- Informatics
- Interprofessional collaboration
- Organizational and systems leadership
- Policy and advocacy
- Program evaluation for improving patient and population outcomes
- Quality and safety
It also includes courses specific to the MSN specialty, as well as at least 500 hours of clinical rotations. Similar to post-master’s DNP programs, BSN-DNP programs are often available as online, part-time, and/or accelerated programs.
BSN-to-DNP and MSN-to-DNP Programs Available at Campus Locations in New York
The following DNP programs have been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and/or the American Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) (current as of 2016).
Binghamton University
Decker School of Nursing
Vestal
Accreditation: CCNE
BS-DNP (campus)
- Adult-Gerontological Primary Care Nursing
- Community Health Primary Care Nursing
- Family Health Nursing
- Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
Advanced Standing MSN-DNP (campus)
- Adult-Gerontological Primary Care Nursing
- Community Health Primary Care Nursing
- Family Health Nursing
- Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
Columbia University
School of Nursing
Broadway
Accreditation: CCNE and ACME
Post-BS-DNP (campus)
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program
- Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Midwifery Program
- Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Dominican College of Blauvelt
Graduate Nursing
Blauvelt
Accreditation: CCNE
MSN (FNP)-DNP (hybrid)
- Clinical Nursing Practice
D’Youville College
Patricia H. Garman School of Nursing
Buffalo
Accreditation: CCNE
MSN-DNP
- Family Nurse Practitioner (hybrid)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (campus)
Hunter College of the City University of New York
School of Nursing
New York
Accreditation: CCNE
BSN-DNP (campus)
- Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Family Nurse Practitioner
MSN-DNP (campus)
- Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Family Nurse Practitioner
Molloy College
Barbara H. Hagan School of Nursing and Health Sciences
Rockville Centre
Accreditation: CCNE
MSN-DNP (hybrid)
- Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
- Family Psychiatry Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist
New York University
Rory Meyers College of Nursing
New York
Accreditation: CCNE
Post-BSN-DNP (campus/hybrid)
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP
- Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP
- Psychiatric-Mental Health NP
- Pediatric NP
Post-Master’s-DNP (campus/hybrid)
- Direct Care Advanced Practice (campus/hybrid)
Advanced Standing Master’s-DNP (campus/hybrid)
- Clinical Leadership
Pace University
Lienhard School of Nursing
New York
Accreditation: CCNE
Post-Master’s-DNP (hybrid)
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
St. John Fisher College
School of Nursing
Rochester
Accreditation: CCNE
Post-Baccalaureate-DNP (hybrid)
- Adult/Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner
- Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Post-Master’s-DNP (hybrid)
- Clinical Nursing Practice
State University of New York Upstate Medical University
College of Nursing
Syracuse
Accreditation: CCNE
MS-DNP (online)
- Clinical Nursing Practice
Stony Brook University
School of Nursing
Stony Brook
Accreditation: CCNE
Post-Baccalaureate-DNP (hybrid)
- Adult-Gerontology-Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Pediatric-Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner
- Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Nurse Midwifery
University at Buffalo, State University of New York
School of Nursing
Buffalo
Accreditation: CCNE and COA
Post-BS-DNP (hybrid)
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Nurse Anesthetist
Post-MS-DNP (online)
- Clinical Nursing Practice
University of Rochester
School of Nursing
Rochester
Accreditation: CCNE
Post-BS-DNP (hybrid)
- Nurse Practitioner
- Clinical Nurse Leader
Post-Master’s-DNP (hybrid)
- Clinical Nursing Practice
A larger selection of CCNE and ACEN-accredited DNP programs are available online.
Other DNP programs in the state not shown here may be regionally accredited or hold specialty accreditation through the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs or the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education.
Opportunities Available to DNP-Prepared Nurses in New York
The DNP prepares graduates to meet the demands of a constantly changing healthcare environment and instills vital competencies that prepare nurses for increasingly complex leadership roles.
The following job listings highlight some of the opportunities available to DNP-educated nurses in New York:
Ventricular Assist Device Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Instructor, Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stony Brook, NY
- Current NYS RN license
- Master’s degree in nursing, national certification as a nurse practitioner
- VAD experience, including at least 3 years of critical care experience or equivalent
- Intensive care experience, DNP preferred
Program Director, Nursing Education, New York, NY
- Master’s in nursing – PhD, DNP strongly preferred
- Background in academia
- Minimum 5 years of administrative, instructional, and professional experiences in clinical practice as an RN
Clinical Assistant/Associate Professor of Nursing – SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Utica, NY
- MSN
- National certification as a family or adult/acute care nurse practitioner
- Doctoral degree in nursing or related area preferred
- Expertise as a family and/or adult/acute care nurse practitioner
Dean of Nursing, Plaza College, Forest Hills, NY
- PhD, DNP, or related degree
- Background in academia
- Minimum 5 years of administrative, instructional, and professional experiences in clinical practice as an RN
Professional Development Specialist Peds/NICU, Health Quest, Poughkeepsie, NY
- Master’s degree in nursing; DNP preferred
- 5+ years of educational experience in an acute care or academic organization
- Pediatric/NICU experience
Examples of DNP nursing positions were taken from a survey of job listings in January 2020 and are shown for illustrative purposes only. These examples do not represent job offers or positions that are currently available.