The DNP Scholarly Project

As a culminating product of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program, the DNP Scholarly Project reflects the synthesis of the DNP Program Student Learning Outcomes and The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2021). The project incorporates the student's foundational DNP knowledge and lays the groundwork for future clinical scholarship. This scholarly experience enables students to acquire and demonstrate their competence in applying evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and systems leadership.

Throughout this process, students will seek guidance and support from an assigned faculty project chair and clinical expert at the project site. The DNP Scholarly Project begins in the first semester by examining sources of evidence related to a clinical problem prioritized by a healthcare or community organization that requires a change or an improvement in outcomes. In the second and third semesters, the project implementation and its evaluation plans are further developed with guidance from course faculty, culminating in the proposal of the DNP Scholarly Project with a formalized committee. On average, it takes five semesters to design, implement, evaluate, and disseminate the DNP Scholarly Project. The dissemination of project outcomes marks the completion of the scholarly project process. The final defense allows students to present their project experiences, share deliverables with the project site and academic community, and establish the attainment of advanced-level competencies.

Scholarly Project Committee

The DNP Scholarly Project Committee is composed of a minimum of one doctorally-prepared (DNP or PhD) faculty and a community member who holds special expertise relative to the specific project.

A well-formed Committee for the DNP degree must have at least two committee members:

1. One member, the Chair, must be doctorally prepared faculty from the College of Nursing.

a. The Chair must have rank of Assistant Professor or higher and have an earned doctorate.

2. One member must be from the community and will serve as a voting member.

a. The community member does not have to be doctorally prepared.

b. A community member must be located at the site of the project and helps the student to gain entry to the institution/site where the project will occur.

c. The community member must meet criteria established by the UTK College of Nursing and Graduate School and be approved by the student’s Committee Chair.

3. When appropriate, a third committee member may be selected, who holds special expertise relative to the specific project.

a. The third member may be a faculty member from another academic unit, or external to the university.

Membership in the proposed project committee will be reviewed by the DNP Program Chair and the Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs and will then be forwarded to the Graduate School for final approval. Please see the following link for instructions and forms: https://gradschool.utk.edu/forms-central/doctoral-non-phd-committee/ Students may only implement their project after obtaining approval of their non-PhD committee form from the UTK Graduate School and determination from the UTK IRB.

The student is responsible for keeping all committee members apprised of the project's progress and making sure the members are available for Proposal and Defense presentations. Students are encouraged to avail themselves of opportunities to work closely with the project chair and faculty members throughout their program of study as part of the Graduate Program on-sites, Colloquiums, and in various assistantships, preceptorships, or directed study experiences. To become acquainted with faculty expertise, students are encouraged to review the information on the College of Nursing website. The Project Chair will be assigned by the program during the first year of study. Together, the student and the chair identify additional committee members and secure their agreement to serve.

DNP Scholarly Project Committee Responsibilities

The Project Committee is responsible for the following activities:

Guiding the student in the development of the scholarly project.
Mentoring the student during the implementation and evaluation phases of the project.
Evaluating the student’s performance on both the Proposal and Defense presentations.

Faculty Chair Responsibilities

A faculty member will be assigned to chair the student’s DNP Scholarly Project.
The Faculty Chair will work with the student to identify an appropriate Community Member for the DNP Scholarly Project Committee.
The Faculty Chair will ensure that the student and department complete the Doctoral (Non- PhD) Committee Form. Admission to Candidacy Form, Schedule of Defense Form, and Report of Final Exam/Dissertation Defense/Capstone Defense/Project Defense Form as required by the Graduate School.
The Faculty Chair will clarify with the student if the agency requires a clinical agreement for completing the DNP Scholarly Project. If a clinical agreement is required, the Faculty Chair will refer the student to the Clinical Graduate Coordinator for further instructions for acquiring an agency agreement.
The Faculty Chair will confer with the student each semester about the student’s progress in the DNP program.
The Faculty Chair will confer with the student at regular intervals about progress in refining the DNP Scholarly Project.
The Faculty Chair will assist the student in developing the products required to successfully complete the DNP Scholarly Project Proposal.
The Faculty Chair will advise the student of available times to present the DNP Scholarly Project Proposal.
The Faculty Chair will attend the student’s DNP Scholarly Project Proposal presentation.
At the conclusion of the Proposal Defense, the Faculty Chair will oversee the committee’s vote of whether to approve the DNP Scholarly Project Proposal, notify the student of the committee’s decision, compete the Written and Oral Defense Rubric, and supervise any needed revisions to the Proposal.
The Faculty Chair will assist the student in preparing and submitting a request for UTK IRB determination for the DNP Scholarly Project.
If necessary, the Faculty Chair will assist in preparing and submitting a request for IRB determination from the agency where the project will be implemented.
The Faculty Chair will confer with the student and committee members to set a date for the final project defense. All University deadlines must be followed. The Faculty Chair will confer with the student and committee members to set a date for the final project defense. All University deadlines must be followed. The Faculty Chair ensures the student submits the Schedule of Dissertation Defense/Capstone Defense to the Graduate School.
The Faculty Chair will attend the student’s Final DNP Scholarly Project Defense presentation.
At the conclusion of the Final Defense, the Faculty Chair will oversee the committee’s vote of whether to approve the DNP Scholarly Project, notify the student of the committee’s decision, complete the Written and Oral Defense Rubric and supervise any needed revisions to the final product.

Community Member Responsibilities

1. The Community Member will agree to serve on the student’s DNP Scholarly Project Committee.

2. The Community Member will provide the Committee Chair with a current resume or curriculum vitae.

3. The Community Member will sign and return the Community Member Agreement Form.

4. The Community Member will facilitate the student’s entry into the agency by providing pertinent information about the agency including any special requirements.

5. The Community Member will meet periodically with the student to provide guidance in regard to the development of the DNP Scholarly Project.

6. The Community Member will meet periodically with the student to provide guidance for the implementation phase of the project.

7. The Community Member will work with the DNP Scholarly Project Committee to resolve any difficulties of the project.

8. The Community Member serves on the DNP Scholarly Project Committee and evaluates the Project Proposal Defense and the Final Project Defense.

9. The Community Member attends the Project Proposal Defense and Final Project defense either in person or online.

10. The Community Member completes an evaluation of the student at the end of each semester [will receive via email at the end of each semester].

Student Responsibilities

1. The student will work with the Faculty Chair to select the Community Member and the third Committee Member (if applicable) for the project committee.

2. The student will consult with the Chair to ascertain whether the CON has a letter of support from the agency where the student plans to complete the project. If there is no letter of support, the student will provide a contact person at the agency to the appropriate staff member.

3. The student will confer with the Faculty Chair each semester about academic progress in the DNP program.

4. The student will confer at regular intervals with their DNP Scholarly Project Committee about progress toward refining the DNP Scholarly Project.

5. The student will work with the Faculty Chair to schedule a time for the Project Proposal Defense after consultation with their DNP Scholarly Project Committee.

6. The student will complete the project immersion hours necessary to implement and evaluate the DNP Scholarly Project and will keep an accurate log of project hours. The student will enter their project hours into the appropriate electronic student tracking system every 15 days. At the end of each semester, the student will submit a summary of the hours logged against the electronic student tracking system to the Faculty Chair as part of the final Student-Faculty Contract submission.

7. The student will work with the Faculty Chair to set a timeline for all milestones in development, implementation, and evaluation of the DNP Scholarly Project.

8. The student will prepare and submit, with the Faculty Chair, a request for UTK IRB determination.

9. The student will prepare and submit any necessary agency IRB determination for the project site with the assistance of the Faculty Chair or Community Member.

10. The student will work with the Faculty Chair to set a date and time for the Final Defense of the DNP Scholarly Project after conferring with their DNP Scholarly Project Committee. All University of Tennessee Graduate School deadlines must be followed.

11. The final DNP Scholarly Project Manuscript and dissemination plan will be submitted at least two weeks prior to the Final Defense Date.

12. Submission of final DNP Scholarly Project deliverable to the Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange (TRACE) repository.

Third Committee Member Responsibilities (if applicable)

The Committee Member will agree to serve on the student’s DNP Scholarly Project Committee, making sure that their areas of clinical interest align.
The Committee Member will confer with the student periodically to provide guidance regarding the existing state of the science underlying the development and implementation of the student’s DNP Scholarly Project.
The Committee Member will work with the student and the DNP Scholarly Project Committee to resolve any difficulties of the project.
The Committee Member will participate in the evaluation of the DNP Scholarly Project Proposal and Final DNP Scholarly product.
The Committee Member will attend the student’s DNP Scholarly Project Proposal presentation in person or online.
The Committee Member will attend the student’s Final DNP Scholarly Project presentation in person or online.

DNP Scholarly Project

Students will design, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a DNP Scholarly Project derived from clinical practice or population health problems. The expectation is for students to provide an insightful approach to identifying a clinical problem and demonstrate critical thinking, analysis, and innovation, which are priorities for the project organization.

Key Elements of the DNP Scholarly Project include:

Problem identification
A search, analysis, and synthesis of the literature and evidence
Translating evidence to construct a strategy or method to address a problem
Designing a plan for implementation; with actual implementation
Evaluation of the outcomes, process, and/or experience (AACN, 2021, p. 24)

Project Framework

Effective Fall 2024, the DNP program has selected the Evidence-based Practice Improvement Plus Model (Levin & Lauder, 2025) as the framework for designing, implementing, evaluating, and disseminating the DNP Scholarly Project (see Figure 2). Students who are enrolled in the DNP program before Fall 2024 may still use the Johns Hopkins EBP Model, Model for Improvement, or the original EBPI Model (Levin et. al, 2010). The EBPI+ model merges the initial four steps of the evidence-based practice (EBP) process with quality improvement (QI) methods for project implementation and evaluation. The model concludes with the dissemination of project results. Additional aspects of the model include principles critical for project success that include:

Mentoring
Organizational commitment
Stakeholder engagement
Assessment of organizational context
Need for project sustainability

Group Projects

Students may inquire about completing a group project before beginning the program or during the first semester. The choice of completing an individual versus a group project must be made at the onset of project planning with initial approval by the DNP Program Chair. Recommendations from the AACN (2015) suggest that “…group projects are acceptable when appropriate to the student’s area of practice and goals, and the project aims are consistent with the program outcomes …” (p. 4). AACN further recommends that each student be individually evaluated on all project development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination elements. Individual and group peer evaluation is required for all assignments. Each student must share leadership roles and provide a record of individual contributions to the project deliverables (AACN, 2015, p. 4).

Group Project Guidelines:

· The maximum number of DNP students per group project will not exceed 4 students.

· The faculty in the nurse anesthesia concentration (NAC) will assign all NAC

students to a group project.

· Each individual student who participates in a group project must be able to provide

evidence of their individual contribution to the development, implementation,

and evaluation of the overall project and complete required peer evaluations.

The DNP Program Chair must provide initial approval for group projects.

• A single faculty project chair will supervise group projects.

DNP Scholarly Project Proposal

Students will develop a manuscript-style document in the NURS 630 DNP Scholarly Project Proposal course before the formal proposal defense presentation. The purpose of the proposal document is to provide the student with the opportunity to concisely present to their committee the proposed project from the synthesized knowledge gained throughout their core DNP program courses for the committee to provide feedback and determine the project's feasibility.

The DNP project proposal template offers the student an outline to structure the written document using modified SQUIRE 2.0 guideline section headers. This template is NOT intended to be all-inclusive but to ensure the student has considered all potential elements appropriate for inclusion in a DNP project proposal. Consultation with the DNP project committee chair is recommended if there are questions about the inclusion or exclusion of any element listed in the template.

Preparation of the proposal document includes the SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines and using APA 7th edition professional paper format style. All bolded items are required elements found in the SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines. Refer to: SQUIRE 2.0 Glossary for further details.

The narrative of the proposal document should be limited to 20-25 double-spaced pages, excluding the title page, abstract, tables, figures, references, and appendices.

DNP Scholarly Project Proposal Document

Students will develop a manuscript-style document in the N630 DNP Scholarly Project Proposal course before the formal proposal defense presentation. The purpose of the proposal document is to provide the student with the opportunity to concisely present to their committee the proposed project from the synthesized knowledge gained throughout their core DNP program courses for the committee to provide feedback and determine the project's feasibility.

The DNP project proposal template offers the student an outline to structure the written document using modified SQUIRE 2.0 guideline section headers. Consultation with the DNP project committee chair is recommended if there are questions about the inclusion or exclusion of any element listed in the template.

The proposal document is prepared using the SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines and the professional paper format of the APA 7th edition. All bolded items are required elements found in the SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines. Refer to the SQUIRE 2.0 Glossary for further details.

The narrative of the proposal document should be limited to 20-25 double-spaced pages, excluding the title page, abstract, tables, figures, references, and appendices.

DNP Project Document Proposal Template

I. Title Page

II. Abstract (headers)

a. Background

b. Methods

c. Intervention

d. Results

e. Conclusion

III. Introduction

a. Problem description: describe the nature and significance of the local problem.

b. Available knowledge: summarize what is currently known about the problem, including relevant studies, local internal evidence, and plausible solutions for improvement supported by the literature.

c. Rationale: explain the EBP or QI model to guide the project's development, implementation, and evaluation. The EBPI+ Model will be the required framework for new projects starting in the Fall of 2024.

i. A brief discussion of the process model/framework

ii. Literature Review (follows EBP steps 1-3; is not

included in SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines, required for

proposal document).

1. PICOT Question

2. Search Strategies for Review of the Literature

3. PRISMA diagram (Figure placed behind references)

4. Critical appraisal and synthesis of the literature

a. Briefly describe the critical appraisal approach, tools, level, and quality grade of all research and non-research evidence

b. Evaluation of evidence displayed in evaluation tables (table placed behind references)

c. Development of a synthesis table (table placed behind references)

5. Clinical expertise that contributes to the body of evidence.

6. Patient and family preferences and values that contribute to the body of evidence.

7. Provide recommendation(s) for practice change with the strength of recommendation rating (table placed behind references)

d. Specific aims: project purpose and specific aim(s).

IV. Methods

a. Context includes:

i. Description of setting

ii. Patients/Participants

iii. Barriers and facilitators to implementation (contextual factors)

b. Intervention(s), Specifics of the team involved in the work and the the specific activities or intervention(s) that will change the performance of the system problem. Describe in sufficient detail that others could reproduce it.

i. Specifics of the team involved in the project

1. Stakeholders and leadership (all supplemental tables will be placed after the references).

ii. Project resources and logistics

iii. Cost considerations (i.e., cost-benefit analysis, budget, return on investment)

iv. Project Timeline

v. Educational sessions (if applicable)

1. Include a teaching plan (objectives, content, time, modality, & evaluation)

vi. Intervention process (ex., Process diagram, decision-making algorithm)

c. Study of the Intervention(s): describe the approach chosen for assessing the impact of the intervention(s) in sufficient detail (ex., PDSA cycles, approach chosen for collection of data for measures related to the project aim, survey, or evaluation).

d. Measures:

i. What specific outcomes will be measured? (Types of measures—outcomes, process, or balancing) including operational definitions ii. Collection procedure

1. If using data collection tools (survey, questionnaire, instrument), discuss the reliability/validity of the instrument if applicable.

iii. The evaluation plan (all supplemental tables will be placed after the references).

e. Analysis:

i. A data analysis approach (e.g., descriptive statistics) is used to interpret and report a change or improvement from the project results.

ii. Method for understanding variation within the data and visualization (ex., run chart, other graphics)

f. Ethical considerations

i. Data access, collection, management, and security

ii. IRB determination process

V. Discussion for purposes of the proposal document, a summary paragraph is provided to include:

a. Plan for project sustainability

b. Significance and implications of the project

c. Potential dissemination opportunities

VI. References

VII. Tables and Figures

VIII. Appendices (optional examples)

a. SWOT analysis

b. Gantt chart/ project timeline

c. Project or educational materials (i.e., flyers, infographics, teaching plan)

d. Surveys, questionnaires, screens, or checklists (with permission, if applicable)

e. Project budget (as applicable)

f. Other pertinent materials, as discussed with the project chair

Proposal Presentation Description

A formal presentation of the student's project proposal is required and scheduled with the project committee (location, venue, and presentation length are at the discretion of the student's project committee). Before scheduling the proposal defense presentation, the student must collect the required committee forms and signatures. Provide copies to the faculty project chair and submit the following forms to congrad@utk.edu:

• Doctoral (Non-PhD) Committee Form

• Community Member Agreement

• Community Member CV

• Project Site Letter of Support

The student will develop a PowerPoint presentation using a preformatted template to deliver an overview of the proposed project. The student will have 30 minutes to complete the presentation, followed by questions from the student's project committee. Students should refer to the DNP Scholarly Project: Written and Oral Defense Rubric for specific defense criteria. The proposal defense does not include an evaluation of the findings, implications, and dissemination criterion. Upon completing the proposal defense, the student will send a copy of the proposal document and presentation PPT to Graduate Programs (congrad@utk.edu) for placement in their academic file.

Institutional Review Board Determination

Graduate students in the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee must abide by the rules and regulations set forth by the University of Tennessee's Institutional Review Board (IRB) when conducting systematic investigations. Though DNP students are not conducting research, evidence-based practice and quality improvement projects may require IRB oversight. A process is available to seek IRB determination for DNP student projects found in the NURS 633 Canvas course or the DNP Student Canvas page within the DNP Scholarly Project Resources tab. All students must follow the IRB determination process before beginning their project or initiating an IRB determination process at another institution. The IRB determination process will always start with the IRB department at UTK (even if the project site has an IRB).

Before requesting a formal letter of determination from the UTK IRB, the student will verify the following:

* The student will complete the project proposal defense and receive permission from the project chair to initiate the UTK IRB determination process.

* The proposal document and PPT presentation for NURS 633 course assignments received approval from the faculty project chair, and the student has sent copies to the community member and congrad@utk.edu.

* The student has reviewed the instructions for seeking the UTK IRB determination process and discussed them with their faculty project chair and community member. The student understands the requirements for IRB determination at the project site, if applicable.

* Complete and receive faculty project chair approval of 1) the Human Subjects Research (HSR) Determination worksheet AND 2) the Project Abstract Form. Faculty approval must be noted in N633 before beginning the IRB determination process.

Dissemination of the DNP Scholarly Project

In the NURS 634 DNP Scholarly Project Dissemination course, all students will complete an executive summary, abstract, and professional poster using preformatted templates and instructions to succinctly summarize the project's key points and findings. These deliverables will be used to disseminate the project results to project leadership and key stakeholders. Additionally, the project abstract and poster will be published to the DNP Repository in TRACE for wider dissemination.

The executive summary is written in a professional and objective tone and formatted in block single-spaced paragraphs using bolded template headers. The references should be limited to 6 or fewer using APA 7th ed. format. The executive summary is limited to two pages, excluding references.
See further instructions for submitting the abstract and poster in the Submission to DNP Repository Collection- TRACE Section

Template for Executive Summary, Abstract, and Poster

Project Title

Author(s) name, credentials, and email contact

Introduction

Description of the project initiative that identifies the clinical problem or issue.
A brief overview of background information and literature review with evidence to support the project.
Project purpose and aims

Methods

Context of the project setting and participants
Planning and implementation phases of the project
Interventions or changes implemented
Approaches for collection of measures (data)
How the data was analyzed
Ethical considerations

Results

Brief description of the most significant clinical/practical findings.
Inferences or meaning from the findings of the data important to the organization and lessons learned

Discussion

Key strengths of the project and their implications to practice
Overview of improvement of outcomes, cost-benefit, quality of care, etc.
Recommendations for sustainability and next steps

References

Upon completing the final defense, a copy of the executive summary and presentation is sent to Graduate Programs (congrad@utk.edu) for placement in the student’s academic file. In addition, a copy of the executive summary and poster will be distributed to the Community Member at the project site for internal dissemination. See further instructions on p. 9 for submitting the abstract and poster to TRACE.

Additional Project Dissemination [Optional]

External dissemination of the DNP Scholarly Project assists students in launching their future practice scholarship, which may vary depending on the project result. Though not required, the following approaches to dissemination are highly encouraged and should be discussed with your project committee chair and community member throughout all project phases.

Dissemination Examples:

Submission to a peer-reviewed print or online journal
Submission of an abstract for presentation (poster and/or podium) at professional meetings/conferences.
Presentation (poster and/or podium) at professional meetings/conferences.
Development of a webinar presentation or video, e.g., for YouTube or another public site
Submission and publication to a non-refereed lay publication or professional organization. (i.e., Op-ed, editorial, column)

Authorship Guidelines for Publication and Presentation of the DNP Scholarly Project

In the event of any external dissemination of the DNP Scholarly Project, the DNP student should be listed as the first author. In the event of a group DNP project, students will negotiate the order of authorship. Examples of dissemination include publication in a refereed or lay journal, newsletter, op-ed, or abstract submission for podium/poster presentations at a conference or professional meeting. Other members of the DNP project committee who have made substantial contributions to the dissemination effort may qualify for co-authorship. Negotiating authorship with potential co-authors, such as the faculty project chair and community member, should occur early in the DNP project process. The student and project committee will determine the authorship order by reviewing the APA authorship guidelines for professional—student collaborations in section 1.22 of the APA 7th edition manual (p.25) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Authorship includes the following ICMJE criteria:

Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
Drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content; AND
Final approval of the version to be published; AND
Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
If an individual provided significant assistance to the student with the DNP project, but the contributions do not meet the ICMJE criteria for authorship, the student may choose to acknowledge this person.

Authorship Guidelines for Publication and Presentation of the DNP Scholarly Project

In the event of any external dissemination of the DNP Scholarly Project, the DNP student will be the first author. Other members of the DNP project committee who have made substantial contributions to the dissemination effort may qualify for co-authorship. The student and project chair will determine the authorship order following the APA authorship guidelines for professional—student collaborations in section 1.22 in the APA 7th edition manual (p.25).

DNP Scholarly Project Final Defense Presentation

In the event of any external dissemination of the DNP Scholarly Project, the DNP student should be listed as the first author. In the case of a group DNP project, students will negotiate the order of authorship. Examples of dissemination include publication in a refereed or lay journal, newsletter, op-ed, or abstract submission for podium/poster presentations at a conference or professional meeting. Other members of the DNP project committee who have made substantial contributions to the dissemination effort may qualify for co-authorship. Negotiating authorship with potential co-authors, such as the faculty project chair and community member, should occur early in the DNP project process. The student and project committee will determine the authorship order by reviewing the APA authorship guidelines for professional—student collaborations in section 1.22 of the APA 7th edition manual (p.25) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Authorship includes the following ICMJE criteria: • Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND

• Drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content; AND

• Final approval of the version to be published; AND

• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

If an individual provided significant assistance to the student with the DNP project, but the contributions do not meet the ICMJE criteria for authorship, the student may choose to acknowledge this person.

Submission to DNP Repository Collection-TRACE

Upon successful completion of the final defense of the DNP Scholarly Project, students will submit an abstract (template headers provided) and Poster Presentation (poster template and instructions for PPT provided) for external dissemination of their DNP Scholarly Project in the DNP repository, TRACE, at https://trace.tennessee.edu/dnp/.

The abstract and poster are created using section headers that align with the SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines. The abstract is limited to 300 words or less and formatted in block single-spaced paragraphs using bolded template headers. Following submission instructions in Canvas, the abstract will be copied and pasted into the TRACE repository.

The poster will be created in PowerPoint using the “better poster” design and template headers. The student’s project chair must view and approve the abstract and poster before submission to TRACE. Further detailed instructions are in the NURS 634 Canvas course.

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2021). The essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/AcademicNursing/pdf/Essentials-2021.pdf

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2015). The doctor of nursing practice: Current issues and clarifying recommendations. Retrieved from https://www.aacnnursing.org/DNP

Comprehensive Examinations/Admission to Candidacy

Comprehensive Examination

Successful completion of the DNP Scholarly Project Proposal and oral proposal defense serves as the Candidacy Exam (labeled as Comprehensive Exam on the Graduate School Admission to Candidacy Form) for all DNP students. The responsibility for determining examination results rests with the student’s committee. Examination results will be reported to the Graduate School as pass or fail. It is the responsibility of the Chair of the student’s committee to inform students in writing about the results of the examination.

If a student receives a grade of fail on the comprehensive examination, the student is allowed to repeat the examination one time. The extent of the second examination is determined by the faculty committee. A written evaluation and remediation plan is prepared by the committee and provided to the student. During this time, the student must be registered for NURS 502 Use of Facilities to maintain continuous enrollment status.

If the student does not successfully pass the second examination, the student will be terminated from the doctoral program.

Admission to Candidacy

A student may be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree after passing the comprehensive examination, fulfilling any language requirements, and maintaining at least a 3.00 GPA in all graduate coursework. (https://tiny.utk.edu/grad-catalog) Admission to candidacy for the DNP indicates agreement among the Doctoral Committee members that the student has demonstrated acceptable graduate work and that satisfactory progress has been made toward the degree.

The Admission to Candidacy Application form (https://gradschool.utk.edu/forms-central/admission-to-candidacy-doctoral-degree/) is signed by all the members of the student’s committee. All courses toward the degree, including transfer coursework and courses that have been waived, are listed on the application.

For the Residence requirement, students must list either two consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment [9 hours] or three consecutive semesters of part-time enrollment [6 hours]). Students should list the date of their successful DNP Scholarly Project Proposal defense in the Comprehensive Examination field.

Courses are listed in chronological order, from the earliest course taken to the most recent course taken. A memo from the Chair of the DNP Program or Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs must accompany the application if any courses have been waived. NURS 599 (Statistical Methods for Healthcare Research) and/or STAT 531 (Survey of Statistical Methods I) is not listed on the form because it is a prerequisite for admission to the program. Per the requirements outlined in the Graduate School Catalog under the Doctoral Degree Requirements section, “all professional doctorates include a minimum of 48 credit hours of graduate coursework beyond the baccalaureate or 24 credit hours of graduate coursework beyond the masters and must meet their programmatic accreditation standards and the needs of professional certification”. Post-Master's DNP students must demonstrate satisfaction of this requirement by listing at least 12 credit hours of coursework from their MSN degree in the appropriate section of the Admission to Candidacy form.

The Admission to Candidacy Form must be completed and submitted to the Graduate School no later than the last day of classes in the semester preceding the semester the student plans to graduate. For example, if a student is planning to graduate in Fall 2023, candidacy paperwork will be submitted no later than Summer 2023 by the appropriate Graduate School deadline (https://gradschool.utk.edu/graduation/graduation-deadlines/). If a student plans to graduate in the fall, it is advisable to submit the application before the end of spring semester since many faculty are not available during the summer months.

The original form is to be submitted to the Graduate Programs Office at congrad@utk.edu. Once signed by the Assistant Dean & Director of Graduate Studies, the Graduate Programs Office will submit the form to the Graduate School on the student’s behalf.

Students must have successfully passed their DNP Scholarly Project proposal defense before they can be admitted to candidacy. Students do not need to be admitted to candidacy before submitting the schedule of defense form per departmental policy; this exception to the Graduate School policy is approved by the Graduate School.

Students should not identify themselves as doctoral candidates until they have been admitted to candidacy.

Monitoring of DNP Student Progress

Students will meet a minimum of three times a semester with their DNP Scholarly Project Chair. These meetings can be in person while on-site or by Zoom to assess and monitor the student's progress toward degree completion. In addition, students will meet with their concentration coordinators twice during the fall and spring semesters on-site until they begin clinical courses.

Nurse Anesthesia Concentration Student Handbook Addendum

DNP students in the Nurse Anesthesia Concentration should also refer to the Nurse Anesthesia Student Handbook Addendum provided by the Anesthesia program.

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