MCN to offer online Doctor of Nursing Practice program

Teresa Valerio, DNP, APN, FNP-BC, CBSM will be teaching courses online for the DNP program.

The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) has voted to approve Illinois State University’s proposal to offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. The DNP program will be offered through the Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN).

The DNP is the highest level of clinical practice education, and will allow MCN to meet the healthcare needs of people in the state of Illinois and beyond.

“The approval of this degree is further evidence of Illinois State’s success in providing rigorous, innovative and high-impact degree programs that prepare students to compete in a changing and growing environment,” said President Al Bowman.

According to Janet Wessel Krejci, dean and professor at MCN, the Post-Master’s DNP program is designed for nurse professionals to take courses conveniently online.

“It is a 34-semester-hour program that students can complete over seven semesters, or two and half years,” she said. “MCN is dedicated to the preparation of expert clinicians and leaders, and we are thrilled to offer the DNP program.”

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), this advanced degree is designed for nurses seeking a terminal degree in nursing practice and offers an alternative to research-focused doctoral programs. AACN also states that DNP-prepared nurses are well-equipped to fully implement the science developed by nurse researchers prepared in Ph.D., DNSc, and other research-focused nursing doctorates.

The DNP also aims to help address the health care shortage in America. “The shortage of nurses in the nation is compounded by a shortage of faculty to teach nurses,” said Provost Sheri Everts. “This degree opens doors to excellent nursing professionals who will pass their expertise onto a new generation of nurse practitioners.”

MCN also offers a Ph.D. in Nursing, and nurses who complete this degree are dedicated to the development of new knowledge for the discipline of nursing and the advancement of nursing practice.