With more than 3 million members, the nursing profession is the largest segment of the nation's healthcare workforce.
Working on the front lines of patient care, nurses play a vital role in helping realize the objectives set forth in the 2010 Affordable Care Act, legislation that represents the broadest healthcare overhaul since the 1965 creation of the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
In addition to a robust undergraduate nursing program, UVM offers graduate education in nursing to prepare nurses to assume roles in advanced practice, leadership, teaching and research.
A Master of Science (MS) in Nursing degree is now being offered to prepare nurses for the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) role. The program began accepting students in 2014.
In keeping with evolving national accreditation standards, the Master of Science program for nurse practitioners in primary care offered by the Department of Nursing has transitioned to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program with the admission of a cohort of direct entry students in 2014, and the implementation of nurse practitioner track courses in the fall of 2015.
Master of Science in Nursing — Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL)
The CNL functions as part of an interdisciplinary team to oversee the care coordination of a distinct group of patients and provide direct care in complex situations. A national movement to advance the CNL has been fueled by the critical need to improve patient care and better prepare nurses to deliver high-quality care across the health care system.
Our CNL program prepares nurses for leadership positions and the ability to provide evidenced-based care for groups of patients. Graduates of the program are eligible for national certification.
Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) — Nurse Practitioner / Executive Nurse Leader
The DNP program prepares nurses to assume roles in advanced nursing practice as primary care nurse practitioners or as executive nurse leaders in a variety of healthcare settings.
The DNP curriculum builds on the master's degree by providing in-depth education in evidence-based practice, quality improvement, leadership, policy advocacy, informatics, population health and systems thinking, among other key areas.
Nurses in the doctorate program may pursue one of three tracks:
- Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Executive Nurse Leader
The program has three routes of entry:
- Direct Entry Program in Nursing (DEPN) — non-nursing Bachelor of Science or Arts to Doctor of Nursing Practice
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Doctor of Nursing Practice
- Post Master's Doctor of Nursing Practice
Questions?
For more information, please visit the Department of Nursing's website or contact Student Services at (802) 656-3858 for times and locations of information sessions.