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02.
Expand Your Scope of Practice with a DNP Degree from Southern
The DNP Road to Success
Southern’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program emphasizes practice-based learning, unlike research-focused doctoral programs. That means you’ll have the opportunity to learn through hands-on, advanced clinical practice while working directly with patients.
The DNP program is designed to expand your clinical role and provide you with in-depth knowledge of healthcare leadership and policy, opening the door to higher-paying senior leadership opportunities for you.
We offer two DNP programs at Southern based on your current level of education: the post-master’s DNP and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Doctor of Nursing Practice (BS to DNP).
In both of these programs, you’ll have the opportunity to focus on the area of study that you’re most passionate about. Depending on your interests, nursing experience, and career goals, you can specialize in:
- Acute Care–Adult/Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (48 semester hours)
- Lifestyle Medicine (44 semester hours; available fully online)
- Nurse Educator (45 semester hours; available fully online)
- Primary Care–Adult/Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (48 semester hours)
- Primary Care–Family Nurse Practitioner (48 semester hours)
- *Primary Care–Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (50 semester hours; available online with synchronous class sessions)
*This emphasis is available to United States residents only
The BS to DNP pathway requires a total of 77 hours for each of these emphases.
The post-master’s DNP degree program, which may be taken either on a full-time or part-time basis, is designed to help nursing professionals thrive as leaders in clinical, education, and leadership roles.
DNP graduates who become nurse practitioners continue to work directly with patients and typically specialize in one area to assess, diagnose, and treat patients. DNP graduates who choose the nurse educator program help train the next generation of nurses, and those who choose the DNP/MBA program focus on nursing administration and the business side of healthcare.
Another area of specialization you can consider is lifestyle medicine, a differentiating credential for nurses in any role—particularly by nurse practitioners working in primary care. Lifestyle medicine provides a holistic approach to preventive care, such as disease prevention, maintaining healthy habits, and managing chronic illnesses. At Southern, our DNPs use their faith-based lifestyle medicine skills to help patients of all ages and backgrounds take control of their health.
Family Nurse Practitioner
Family nurse practitioners, or FNPs, are trained with a family-focused approach so they can treat patients of any age across a broad scope of medical practice. They are heavily relied upon within our healthcare system and are highly sought by employers.
Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Acute care nurse practitioners, or ACNPs, provide advanced nursing care to patients who are suffering from severe injuries or illnesses. Most often, they work in an emergency, critical care, or first response environment, able to make life-saving decisions and provide critical care in challenging situations.
* Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Mental health nurse practitioners provide comprehensive psychiatric care to individuals and families. If you’re looking to form strong therapeutic relationships with your patients to help them transform their lives in a positive way, then being a mental health nurse practitioner may be your calling.
*Available to United States residents only.
Adult/Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
Are you someone who enjoys forming relationships with your patients and helping them through all of life’s health challenges? Adult-gerontology nurse practitioners, or AGNPs, treat patients from adulthood through advanced age. Because they work across a broad patient population, AGNPs have a wide range of skills and put more emphasis on preventative care and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Nurse Administrator
The primary responsibility of a nurse administrator is to assure quality patient outcomes. You will lead and support nurses in their roles, influence change, and work with executives to achieve organizational goals.
(FYI being a nurse practitioner was voted as the best job in healthcare!)
Nurse Educator
Nurse educators work in higher education or within the healthcare system and educate nurses according to the latest standards of care. If you’re passionate about nursing and want to help create the next generation of nurses who will deliver the highest level of patient care, this might be the career path for you.
DNP Salaries in Tennessee
Here’s a quick look at the typical salaries for DNPs in the Tennessee area. Actual numbers may vary depending on the field, level of experience, and location, but you can expect to earn $105,824 on average.
DNP (Post-Master's)
If you’re a registered nurse or advanced practice nurse who has already earned a master’s degree in nursing, then the DNP is a great way to expand your scope of practice.
Your courses and curriculum will depend on your area of specialization, such as Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Care-Adult/Gerontology, MBA Healthcare Administration, or Nurse Educator.
Most of the emphases start with prerequisites that include Health Promotion, Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Pharmacology, and Advanced Health Assessment.
Once you’ve built that foundation, you’ll begin to take the core DNP classes, including Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Advanced Practice and Genetics and Environment in Disease. The curriculum also includes DNP Seminar, which is an annual required event designed to enhance and shape the DNP students into leaders in their chosen emphasis.
Then, you’ll get into classes that are specific to your area of emphasis (and you’ll have your pick from electives, as well).
For a full course list for each of our areas of emphasis, please see our program page.
Admissions Requirements
- Master’s Degree: A master's in nursing from an accredited program
- Graduate GPA: A minimum cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0
- Statistics Course: An undergraduate or graduate course in statistics
- RN Licensure: Current RN licensure in your state or location of residence
- Work Experience: A minimum of two years (4,000 hours) of work as a registered nurse or nurse practitioner
- Acute Care Emphasis: Acute Care or Psychiatric Mental Health applicants should have substantive experience in these specialty areas and submit documentation of skill set with the application.
Application Deadlines
Each step of the application and its requirements must be completed by the dates below.
Ready to get started? Start your application below! If you have questions or want to learn more about our program, schedule an appointment with our team!
"As a primary care nurse practitioner who completed nursing degrees at Southern Adventist University, I found the faculty to be helpful, caring, experienced, and willing to go above and beyond to help me achieve my goals. As a faculty member myself now, it is my privilege to do the same for the graduate students I encounter."
Judith L. Dedeker, DNP, APRN, CNE, FNP-BC
Associate Professor
