Define your future – and the future of healthcare – with the DNP - Leadership Track

The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the role of the DNP as a leader and change agent in healthcare. Skill development includes identification of a gap in practice, conducting a needs assessment and describing the scope and significance of the problem. [Practicum hours: 50]

Nursing Inquiry for Evidence-Based Practice and Quality Improvement: This course focuses on advanced nursing practice as a form of inquiry, integration, and application of evidence into practice. Skill development includes evaluation of evidence-based practice methods, and use of information systems and patient technology for quality improvement. [Practicum hours: 50]

This course prepares students to assess, design, implement and evaluate evidence-based quality health care practices for individual and aggregate patient populations. Skill development includes defining outcomes linked to measures, variables, and data sources; appropriate data collection and evaluation methods. [Practicum hours: 50]

This course focuses on principles of leadership in relationship to change policy, and membership in high functioning teams to improve health care outcomes within complex systems. Skill development includes assessment of organizational culture, quality and safety data and exploration of principles for effecting change as a member and leader of a team. [Practicum hours: 50]

The purpose of this course is to provide students with the support and direction needed, in collaboration with the sponsoring facility and preceptor, to develop a proposal for a comprehensive, site specific DNP Project, including an evaluation plan. Skill development includes application of theory, review of the literature and population data to frame the DNP Project to drive cost-effective safe care. [Practicum hours: 125]

In this course, the student secures school approval and implements the approved project plan. Skill development includes managing time and resources, assessing and managing implementation issues, data collection, and utilizing communication, and leadership and collaboration strategies. [Practicum hours: 125]

In this course, the student completes and disseminates results of the project. Final projects reflect the student's ability to employ effective communication and collaboration skills, take a leadership role, influence quality and safety, transform practice, lead innovation, and successfully negotiate change in health care delivery. [Practicum hours: 50]

The residency course provides the student with the opportunity to develop and refine skills based on concepts and issues related to the advanced practice nurse role in areas such as: financial planning, needs-based organizational assessment, project planning, management, and evaluation. The student works closely with the faculty mentor to develop an individualized practice experience in an approved site. This course may be taken four times and includes 125 practicum hours per credit. Placement is variable on the student course schedule.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with the fundamental concepts and calculations associated with financial accounting and managerial accounting within a healthcare organization. Students will study the foundational aspects of financial accounting with a primary focus on financial statements and the uses of the information in these statements. Students will also study the functional aspects of managerial accounting to include cost behavior, cost allocation, pricing, planning, budgeting, profit analysis, and performance evaluation. Application of these concepts will include analysis of case studies.

The course provides an extensive overview of leadership in the U.S. health services system. The focus of the course will be on the role health services leadership plays in the delivery of healthcare services, to include managing with professionals, financial management, services utilization, and other aspects of the U.S. healthcare system. The student will explore the key theoretical and practical elements of leadership as well as current issues clarifying how the U.S. health services system is organized, managed, and financed.

In this course the student will develop a strong foundation of health law, enabling them to deal with common legal and practical moral and ethical issues facing the healthcare organization on a daily basis. Topics will include statutory laws, rules and regulations, review of tort laws, criminal law, contract law, civil procedures and trial practice. The student will examine numerous legal, moral, and ethical issues.

The student will examine the theory and techniques used by healthcare executives to analyze financial status and trends. Topics include financial planning, budgeting, risk assessment, rate setting, financial controls, management care, cost accounting, and capital financing of healthcare organizations. The importance of proper financial management to effective healthcare leadership is emphasized.

This course will explore the essential conceptual and analytical understanding of health policymaking and politics, including their impact on health administration and leadership. Selected policy issues will be explored through the application of political concepts and behavioral models, including a system model of policymaking. The emphasis will be on understanding the health leaders approach to the policymaking system, become involved in it, and work through it to attain their objectives and those of their organization.

The student will examine demographic measurements, epidemiological methods, outcomes assessment, health promotion, and disease prevention from a global perspective.

Students will explore concepts and theories of operations and supply chain management. The student will develop both knowledge and skills in solving the operational problems of healthcare organizations.

This course covers the broad spectrum of strategic issues in healthcare including policies, guidelines, standards, processes, and controls required to manage and implement enterprise-level information. Treating information as a strategic asset to healthcare organizations, processes to manage various risks to the quality of information and ensure its appropriate use are covered.

This course explores requirements for clinical workflows in a variety of inpatient, outpatient, and emergency healthcare environments. It covers the documentation, review, mapping, and diagramming of clinical workflow information and processes. The course also covers the linkages between the improvement of patient care to workflow mapping and change management, as part of evidence based decision making in healthcare.

This course addresses the process of retrieving, analyzing, and reporting intelligence to make healthcare decisions. It covers the techniques of extracting, transforming and loading data from a myriad of operational databases into corporate data warehouses, as well means to ensure that decision making is based on clean and reliable information. The course also includes ways to report the healthcare intelligence gathered.

Students examine fundamental public service values that differentiate the mission and purpose of government and nonprofit organizations from those of private, for-profit, organizations. The course focuses on applying public administration and organizational theories to analyze administrative problems faced by leaders and managers implementing government and nonprofit programs. Students learn to think systematically about selecting alternative options for delivering programs and improving organizational performance. Finally, students develop fundamental information literacy, computing, writing, and presentation skills required for effective academic and professional communication.

Students learn fundamental concepts and tools for managing the two most important organizational resources - people and information. The course emphasizes application of human resources concepts and tools for attracting, retaining, and developing employees and improving organizational performance in government and nonprofit organizations. Information technology concepts and tools for managing government and nonprofit organizations are also examined. Fundamental legal, ethical, and political obligations for managing human resources and information technology are also evaluated.

Students learn to apply fundamental methodological concepts and analytical tools necessary for contributing to administrative and policy discussions, critically assessing causal claims, and making informed administrative and policy decisions. The goal is to have students become critical consumers of academic research and professional reports and confidently apply statistical concepts and techniques for professional decision-making. Finally, students develop skills for effectively communicating analysis methods and conclusions with colleagues, elected officials, the media, and the public.

Students learn fundamental concepts and tools for systematically analyzing administrative problems and making decisions that improve organizational performance. Specific techniques for analyzing common administrative problems are learned and the relevance of accounting for public values in such analyses is examined. Students also learn to use project management tools for effectively managing administrative projects. Finally, students develop skills for effectively communicating management analysis methods and conclusions with colleagues, elected officials, the media, and the public.

Students learn to use fundamental budgeting, accounting, and financial management concepts and tools necessary for leading and managing government and nonprofit organizations. Students learn to use analytical techniques for making administrative and policy decisions with significant financial implications. Students also examine the competing values and politics that underlie and impact financial decisions in the government and nonprofit organizations. Finally, students develop skills for effectively communicating financial analysis methods and conclusions with colleagues, elected officials, the media, and the public.

Students learn to think strategically about leading organizations operating in a competitive political environment where collaboration is required to advance the organizational mission. The course focuses on using strategic and network management concepts and tools to improve organizational performance. The importance of strategically managing organizational communication is also examined. Finally, students develop skills for effectively communicating strategic planning methods, approaches, and decisions with colleagues, elected officials, the media, and the public.

Students learn to think and act as ethical leaders within a public service context. The course focuses on putting administrative decisions and organizational plans into action. Students learn to use leadership concepts and tools and interpersonal skills for working with individuals and groups to effectively execute administrative plans and make decisions. Students also develop knowledge and skills for communicating and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders; particularly elected officials, the media, interest groups, and the public.