Skip to Main Content

College of Graduate Health Studies: Nursing

A.T. Still University - College of Graduate Health Studies

From the Program Chair

Dr. Nicole WebbNicole Webb, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC

Dr. Webb began her career as a staff nurse in a hospital setting, then obtained her masters of nursing degree with a concentration in the family nurse practitioner (FNP) track and her doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. She has been an ANCC-certified family nurse practitioner since 2006.

She is a member of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and the Missouri Nurses Organization (MONA). She serves as a board member and public representative for the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND).

With more than 16 years of experience in nursing education, she was most recently the program chair for the School of Nursing and the associate dean for the College of Health Science and Technology at the University of Central Missouri. She has published articles with themes of resilience in nursing students and a concept analysis of emotional intelligence in nursing.

DNP Team

Nicole Webb, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, Program Chair
816.286.3386
nicolewebb@atsu.edu
 

Vera Bannerman, MBA, Academic Advisor
480.245.6241
verabannerman@atsu.edu
 

Maud Mundava, CGHS Librarian
660.626.2340
maudmundava@atsu.edu

 

Student Service/Accomplishments

Use this form to help us keep track of your community service activities, accomplishments, publications, presentations, etc.

About the Program

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Mission 

The DNP program focuses on the development of strategic organizational leadership skills applying student-centric teaching-learning methods in an online course delivery format. Graduates will apply critical thinking skills with a quality analysis and improvement focus. We are committed to acknowledging care of the whole person, including those who are underserved, using evidence-based practice as a foundation for change. 

DNP Goals

The Nursing Program seeks to prepare graduates who are: 

  • Competent leaders in a variety of health care organizational systems.
  • Effective decision-makers through interprofessional collaborations.
  • Prepared to influence positive health care outcomes through evidence-based practice, applying system improvement and innovation.
  • Engaged nurse leaders who are equipped to influence health care policy.

DNP Values

  • Leadership: We value leadership development for our students, faculty, and staff and encourage participation in community and professional service.
  • Integrity: We value the highest ethical principles of fairness and honesty in all of our interactions.
  • Scholarship: We value critical thinking, quality improvement, and the generation of ideas through innovation and analysis.
  • Diversity: We value differences among people and their personal and professional perspectives, including a focus on underserved populations.
  • Interprofessional education: We value the combined contributions of our educational community and work to achieve an environment of teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration.
  • Innovation: We value a continual and aggressive push to develop new and efficient mechanisms for learning, teaching, and technological delivery.
     

DNP Program Outcomes

Doctor of Nursing Practice Outcomes

The DNP Program prepares the graduate to achieve the following program outcomes: 

  • Develop a broad understanding of nursing's unique advanced practice perspective and shared perspectives from other disciplines by applying theory and research-based knowledge from nursing, the arts, humanities, and other sciences through clinical judgment. (AACN Essentials, Domain 1)
  • Integrate advanced assessment skills and apply critical thinking to communicate effectively with individuals to engage in a caring relationship by managing actual and potential health problems and evaluating care outcomes. (AACN Essentials, Doman 2)
  • Practice effective population health management through engaging partnerships, considering the socioeconomic impact of health care delivery, advancing equitable health policies, demonstrating advocacy strategies, and collaborating on disaster and public health emergency preparedness. (AACN Essentials, Domain 3)
  • Apply best evidence to nursing practice and promote ethical scholarly activities to advance nursing scholarship. (AACN Essentials, Domain 4)
  • Apply quality improvement principles in care delivery to patients and providers win the work environment, thereby contributing to a safety culture. (AACN Essentials, Domain 5)
  • Facilitate interprofessional collaboration by valuing team communication, dynamics, and knowledge to address health care needs. (AACN Essentials, Doman 6)
  • Incorporate innovation and evidence-based practice to optimize system effectiveness and cost-efficiency across the continuum of care. (AACN Essentials, Doman 7)
  • Use information and communication technology tools to deliver safe nursing care, support documentation of care for diverse populations following ethical, legal, professional, and regulatory standards, and workplace policies. (AACN Essentials, Domain 8)
  • Demonstrate professionalism in nursing through ethical standards, accountability, compliance with laws and regulations, and the integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion. (AACN Essentials, Domain 9)
  • Exhibit commitment to personal well-being by fostering flexibility and professional development while cultivating leadership capacity through inquiry. (AACN Essentials, Domain 10)
     

AACN's The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education, 2021

Domain I: Knowledge for Nursing Practice

Integration, translation and application of established and evolving disciplinary nursing knowledge and ways of knowing, as well as knowledge from other disciplines, including a foundation in liberal arts and natural and social sciences. This distinguishes the practice of professional nursing and forms the basis for clinical judgment and innovation in nursing practice.

1.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the discipline of nursing's distinct perspective and where shared perspectives exist with other disciplines.

1.2 Apply theory and research-based knowledge from nursing, the arts, humanities, and other sciences.

1.3 Demonstrate clinical judgment founded on a broad knowledge base.

Domain 2: Person-Centered Care

Person-centered care focuses on the individual within multiple complicated contexts, including family and/or important others. Person-centered care is holistic, individualized, just, respectful, compassionate, coordinated, evidence-based, and developmentally appropriate. Person-centered care builds on a scientific body of knowledge that guides nursing practice regardless of specialty or functional area.

2.1. Engage with the individual in establishing a caring relationship.

2.2. Communicate effectively with individuals.

2.3. Integrate assessment skills in practice.

2.4. Diagnose actual or potential health problems and needs.

2.5. Develop a plan of care.

2.6. Demonstrate accountability for care delivery.

2.7. Evaluate outcomes of care.

2.8. Promote self-care management.

2.9. Provide care coordination.

Domain 3: Population Health
Population health spans the health care delivery continuum from public health prevention to disease management of populations and describes collaborative activities with both traditional and non-traditional partnerships from affected communities, public health, industry, academia, health care, local government entities, and others for improvement of equitable population health outcomes.

3.1. Manage population health.

3.2. Engage in effective partnerships.

3.3. Consider the socioeconomic impact of the delivery of health care.

3.4. Advance equitable population health policy.

3.5. Demonstrate advocacy strategies.

3.6. Advance preparedness to protect population health during disasters and public health 
       perspectives.

Domain 4: Scholarship for the Nursing Discipline
The generation, synthesis, translation, application, and dissemination of nursing knowledge to improve health and transform health care.

4.1.  Advance the scholarship of nursing.

4.2.  Integrate best evidence into nursing practice.

4.3.  Promote the ethical conduct of scholarly activities.

Domain 5: Quality and Safety
Employment of established and emerging principles of safety and improvement science. Quality and safety, as core values of nursing practice, enhance quality and minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.

5.1.  Apply quality improvement principles in care delivery.

5.2.  Contribute to a culture of patient safety.

5.3.  Contribute to a culture of provider and work environment safety.

Domain 6: Interprofessional Partnerships
Intentional collaboration across professions and with care team members, patients, families, communities, and other stakeholders to optimize care, enhance the health care experience, and strengthen outcomes.

6.1.  Communicate in a manner that facilitates a partnership approach to quality care delivery.

6.2.  Perform effectively in different team roles, using principles and values of team dynamics.

6.3. Use knowledge of nursing and other professions to address healthcare needs.

6.4. Work with other professions to maintain a climate of mutual learning, respect, and shared values.

Domain 7: Systems-Based Practice
Responding to and leading within complex systems of health care. Nurses effectively and proactively coordinate resources to provide safe, quality, and equitable care to diverse populations.

7.1.  Apply knowledge of systems to work effectively across the continuum of care.

7.2.  Incorporate consideration of cost-effectiveness of care.

7.3. Optimize system effectiveness through application of innovation and evidence-based practice.

Domain 8: Informatics and Health Care Technologies
Information and communication technologies and informatics processes are used to provide care, gather data, form information to drive decision making, and support professionals as they expand knowledge and wisdom for practice. Informatics processes and technologies are used to manage and improve the delivery of safe, high-quality, and efficient health care services in accordance with best practice and professional and regulatory standards.

8.1.  Describe the various information and communication technology tools used in the care of  patients, communities, and populations.

8.2.  Use information and communication technology to gather data, create information, and generate knowledge.

8.3.  Use information and communication technologies and informatics processes to deliver safe nursing care to diverse populations in a variety of settings.

8.4.  Use information and communication technology to support documentation of care and communication among providers, patients, and all system levels.

8.5.  Use information and communication technologies in accordance with ethical, legal, professional, and regulatory standards, and workplace policies in the delivery of care.

Domain 9: Professionalism
Formation and cultivation of a sustainable professional identity, including accountability, perspective, collaborative disposition, and comportment, that reflects nursing's characteristics and values.

9.1.  Demonstrate an ethical comportment in one’s practice reflective of nursing’s mission to society.

9.2.  Employ participatory approach to nursing care.

9.3.  Demonstrate accountability to the individual, society, and the profession.

9.4. Comply with relevant laws, policies, and regulations.

9.5.  Demonstrate the professional identity of nursing.

9.6.  Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion to one’s professional identity.

Domain 10: Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development
Participation in activities and self-reflection that foster personal health, resilience, and well-being; contribute to lifelong learning; and support the acquisition of nursing expertise and the assertion of leadership.

In the final module of your courses, you will be asked to reflect on the above domains, competencies, and sub-competencies.  Essentials specific to your course will be noted at the back of the syllabus and will be listed under each of the corresponding course competencies.

10.1.  Demonstrate a commitment to personal health and well-being.

10.2.  Demonstrate a spirit of inquiry that fosters flexibility and professional maturity.

10.3.  Develop capacity for leadership.

Reference

AACN’s The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education, 2021. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/Publications/Essentials-2021.pdf