Clinical Practice at the School of Nursing
Leadership & Careers
Rewarding careers in healthcare await our graduates after they complete our DNP program. Our alumni have moved into positions across the state and country with titles including: nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, clinical faculty, program director, nurse manager, nurse prescriber, executive director of a clinic, and more.
To connect with other alumni and with employers, current students and graduates are encouraged to join BadgerBridge.
Time for Full Practice Authority
Opinion | By Sarah Endicott DNP ’13 While there is no single solution to the problem of increasing access to high quality healthcare, there are answers. One is to allow advanced practice registered nurses to practice to the full extent of their education, training and experience.
Professor Gina Bryan Named to American Academy of Nursing’s 2019 Class of Fellows
The American Academy of Nursing named Gina Bryan, DNP, RN, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing and a leading state and national policy expert on opioids and addiction, to its 2019 fellows class.
What Nurses Know about Opioids
The opioid epidemic continues to claim lives, disrupt families and challenge communities, but nurses are hardly standing idly by. In many settings, they are creating solutions, implementing new programs, and driving change that is good for nurses, patients, health systems and communities.
DNP Students
As part of the DNP program, Post-BS students complete a minimum of 1,000 practicum hours: 500 hours in clinical practice and 500 hours in clinical leadership. Post-MS students complete a minimum of 500 hours in clinical leadership. All clinical placements are arranged by the School of Nursing, taking advantage of established academic partnerships with major health care systems across Wisconsin. We do our best to honor student requests to complete clinicals near their home community or another site of interest, provided the site meets the requirements for the course and a qualified preceptor is available.
Rural Placements for Nursing Students Help Address Rural Health-care Shortage
A partnership between the Monroe Clinic-SSM Health and the UW–Madison School of Nursing provides DNP students opportunities to engage in rural practice, and many return to it.
A Heart and Mind for Home Health
DNP student Troy Lawrence has a favorite clinical setting. The kitchen table. Lawrence believes home health is a better alternative to clinic-based care for many older-adult patients. Plus, it captures the essence of nursing—of meeting patients where they are—in both the literal and figurative sense.
Kala Cornelius, Community Health Nurse
Kala Cornelius started the DNP program at the School of Nursing in the Fall of 2016. A member of the Oneida and Menominee tribes of Wisconsin, Cornelius plans to return to her community after graduation to lead health-related changes by focusing on disease prevention and holistic healing.
Certification
In addition to earning a doctoral degree, Post-BS graduates are prepared to sit for the following professional nursing certification examinations upon successful completion of the program.
| Population Focus | Role Preparation | Professional Certification Examination |
| Adult/Gerontology | Clinical Nurse Specialist | ANCC Adult-Gerontology CNS |
| Adult/Gerontology Acute Care | Nurse Practitioner | ANCC Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP |
| Adult/Gerontology Primary Care | Nurse Practitioner | ANCC Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP |
| Pediatric Primary Care | Nurse Practitioner | PNCB Primary Care Pediatric NP |
| Psychiatric Mental Health | Nurse Practitioner | ANCC Psychiatric-Mental Health NP |
“Now that I have my DNP, not only do I still get to help families, but I also get to focus on improving the process at a higher level for our team. I’m able to perform literature reviews, data collection, and change our process using my clinical background.”
Adam Schneider, DNP ’17, Senior Organ Procurement Coordinator, UW Organ and Tissue Donation
Curriculum
The Experience
We use a cohort model—students progress in a group, following the course sequence of the program. By taking classes with the same people every semester, students are able to strengthen their relationships and build on shared experiences to challenge each other academically and professionally.
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A Blend of Online and Classroom Learning
Our hybrid classes offer the best of both worlds: the convenience of online classes combined with the benefits of classroom learning. It’s a format that’s been proven effective in keeping students engaged and improving learning outcomes. On-campus meetings are required for all courses—their frequency varies based on where you are in the program plan. These in-person class meetings offer dynamic discussions and case studies, as well as the opportunity to get to know your classmates and professors.
Clinical and Leadership Practicum Experiences
As part of the DNP program, Post-BS students complete a minimum of 1,000 practicum hours: 500 hours in clinical practice and 500 hours in clinical leadership. Post-MS students complete a minimum of 500 hours in clinical leadership. All clinical placements are arranged by the School of Nursing, taking advantage of established academic partnerships with major health care systems across Wisconsin. We do our best to honor student requests to complete clinicals near their home community or another site of interest, provided the site meets the requirements for the course and a qualified preceptor is available.
Requirements
The curriculum is organized around three components: Systematic Evaluation of Practice, Leadership/Policy, and Clinical Practice. Requirements are met through a combination of coursework, a scholarly project, and supervised clinical hours.
Post-BS Option
The Post-BS option requires a minimum of 71 credits (68 in program plan plus 3-credit graduate statistics requirement). Nurses who have a non-APN master’s degree in nursing are considered Post-BS students. They are able to waive up to 18 credits based on previous graduate coursework.
Three-year and four-year program options are available.
Note: Whether three- or four-year, most students reduce work hours when completing their clinical courses.
Post-MS Option
The program of study for Post-MS students who have a master’s degree in a specialty track and are certified (or eligible for certification) as advanced practice nurses requires a minimum of 51 credits; 32 credits completed as part of the DNP program with up to 19 credits recognized from the MS degree.
Nurse Educator Certificate Option
Students interested in dual preparation as an advanced practice nurse and nurse educator may add a nine-credit nursing education focus.
Program Learning Outcomes
Each academic program at UW-Madison has student learning outcomes that describe what students are expected to know or be able to do upon completion of the program. The DNP program’s learning outcomes are listed in The Guide.
Scholarly Project
In the final year of the program each student completes a scholarly project, which represents the culmination of a student’s doctoral education. The project uses evidence to improve either practice or patient outcomes and may take the form of a program evaluation, program development proposal, or quality improvement project.
Students develop their scholarly project over three semesters to produce a paper of publishable quality and deliver an oral presentation to faculty, students, and the community.
3–4
Years to graduate
500
Practicum hours in clinical leadership
5
Specialty tracks
How to Get In
Post-BS applicants have a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Applicants who have a non-APN Master’s degree (i.e., nurse education) are considered Post-BS applicants and are able to waive up to 18 credits based on previous graduate coursework, pending review of syllabi.
DNP Program Eligibility Requirements: Post-BS
- Graduation from an accredited baccalaureate program
- RN license
- GPA of 3.0 on the last 60 credits for the baccalaureate degree
- One year of professional nursing experience
- Grade of B or better in a graduate level statistics course within the last 5 years. (Note: The course does not need to be taken before applying, but must be successfully completed prior to the start of the fall term.)
Additional Requirements for International Applicants
- CGFNS Certification
- Minimum English proficiency scores in one of the following:
- TOEFL (600 PBT, 100 iBT)
- IELTS (8)
- MELAB (85)
Post-MS applicants have a Master’s degree in a specialty track and are certified (or eligible for certification) as advanced practice nurses.
DNP Program Eligibility Requirements: Post-MS
- Graduation from an accredited baccalaureate program
- RN license
- Master’s degree in a specialty track from an accredited nursing program
- GPA of 3.5 for the Master’s degree
- Certification as an advanced practice nurse
- One year of professional nursing experience
- Grade of B or better in a graduate level statistics course within the last 5 years. (Note: The course does not need to be taken before applying, but must be successfully completed prior to the start of the fall term.)
Additional Requirements for International Applicants
- CGFNS Certification
- Minimum English proficiency scores in one of the following:
- TOEFL (600 PBT, 100 iBT)
- IELTS (8)
- MELAB (85)
DNP students pay a differential tuition. Rates are subject to change by term. See Tuition Costs Per Credit (select Doctor of Nursing Practice from the ‘Choose a program’ menu). The Graduate School Cost of Attendance may help in estimating costs—you will need to substitute the DNP tuition rate.
Financial Support
Graduate students in the School of Nursing have access to traineeships, fellowships, scholarships, loans, and research and teaching assistantship positions that may come with full tuition remission. The majority of funding decisions are made in the Spring for the following academic year. All students are encouraged to apply for funding.
Visit the Costs & Financial Aid page for full information about financial support.
The faculty admissions committee will review applications once each year for fall admission. All DNP program applicants must complete the Graduate School’s online application and submit the required supplementary materials.
- Application opens: Early September
- Deadline: December 1
- In-person interview: January 23-24, 2020. Interview dates and times will be assigned by the School of Nursing.
For the purposes of application review, unofficial transcripts may be uploaded directly to the application. Official records will be requested by the Graduate School for all candidates who are recommended for admission.
Students must indicate their intended population focus and whether or not they intend to follow the three- or four-year program plan as part of the application. Requests to switch population focus areas after starting the program are only seldom possible and considered on a case by case basis.
After an initial application review, eligible applicants will be invited for an interview in mid-January through late-February. All applicants must participate in an interview in order to be considered for this program. Interview dates and times will be assigned by the School of Nursing.
Application Materials
Supplemental application materials:
- Transcripts from all previously attended and currently attending institutions
- Copy of nursing license
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- Curriculum vitae or resume
- CGFNS Certification, if you are an international applicant
- Official TOEFL, ILETS, or MELAB scores, if you are an international applicant
- Reasons for Graduate Study/Statement of Purpose
Prior to writing your Statement of Purpose, please review the Essentials of DNP Education. Share your experiences and motivation for pursing a DNP degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing. Your statement must address ALL of the following in 1,400 words or less (4 pages maximum, double-spaced, PDF format):- DNP Education. Share your motivation for pursuing a practice doctorate in nursing. Include your understanding of the DNP degree and how the skills and knowledge you will gain will align with your goals.
- Specialty Practice. Share specific experiences that have inspired and prepared you to pursue a DNP degree in your chosen specialty track.
- Critical-Thinking Ability. A key role of the DNP-prepared nurse is to translate evidence into practice. Describe a significant clinical and/or system problem in healthcare that you have encountered firsthand. Address the following questions in your response.
- What is the problem?
- Who was most impacted?
- What are the costs or consequences?
- What research, best practice guidelines, or innovations have you seen that could provide potential solutions to the problem?
- Diversity. Discuss 1-2 of your social identities (e.g., age, culture, dis/ability, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economic class, etc.) and how might your marginalized and/or privileged identities impact your advanced nursing practice?
Please note that DNP students must possess strong writing abilities. The Statement of Purpose is an important component of the application process and serves as evidence of your ability to communicate your thoughts and ideas in a logical and analytical manner. Your Statement of Purpose will be assessed in the following areas:
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- Ability to address the entire prompt
- Ability to write in a logical, analytical and meaningful manner
- Ability to be concise and utilize proper grammar and syntax
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Optional statement
If you believe that your academic record or test scores do not accurately reflect your ability to be successful in graduate work, you may submit a statement that describes additional factors that you feel merit consideration. Examples might include: experiences that indicate unusual determination, motivation, or leadership characteristics; adverse conditions (e.g. illness); obligations (e.g. family responsibilities); or cultural, linguistic, or economic factors. This optional statement must be 250 words or less (1 page maximum, double-spaced, PDF format).
Connect with Us
The program meets the AACN Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice and the NTF Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs. The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
If you have any questions, would like to discuss visit options, or want to be connected with faculty members, please contact us. We are happy to arrange connections with current students as well. They can often provide special insight into the program, academic services, and life at the University and in Madison.
