Video Transcript
[Leslie Hough Falk, DNP, MS, MBS, RN, Boise, Idaho – DNP Alumna, Class of 2017]: A DNP is a doctor of nursing practice, and it’s a terminal degree for nurses. It’s specifically designed for nurses who are in practice.
[Teresa Serratt, Ph.D, RN, associate professor]: There’s probably never been a time in history like the time that we’re currently living in, where healthcare change is happening at such a rapid pace.
[Lea Keesee, DNP, MSN, CHSE, RN, Midland, Texas – DNP Alumna, Class of 2017]: What I’ve learned throughout the program is things that are bigger than nursing, but that are important to know.
[Heidi Johnstron, DNP, MSN, RN, CNE, Elko, Nevada – DNP Alumna, Class of 2017]: I think one of the best parts about the program was the rigor that it entails, so it really prepares you to go out into the industry to work with leaders, to become a leader, and to really create that’s change that’s necessary to improve patient population and health outcomes.
[Pamela Strohfus, DNP, RN, CNE, Professor and DNP Program Coordinator Emeritus]: They realize by the time they graduate that they truly can do more than what they’ve been doing as a nurse in their field.
[Camille “Kim” Martz, Ph.D, RN, associate professor]: They are now recognized as a leader in clinical practice and change management for evidence-based practice.
[Leslie Hough Falk]: We did a lot of coursework that covered areas around quality, program evaluation, the financial, economic aspect of it, different healthcare models, and all of that was built around a DNP project that integrated each of those components.
[Pamela Strohfus]: The scholarly project is a culminating assignment, very much like a dissertation, that starts from semester one all the way through semester eight. And it is specific to the practice area the nurse is in.
[Camille “Kim” Martz]: So you can take your interest area and you can explore that, explore the kind of change you would like to implement based on the evidence, and become a leader and an expert in that area, and implement that change.
[Tracy Fawns, DNP, MSN, Ed, RN, CNE, St. George, Utah – DNP Alumna, Class of 2017]: I think one of the best things about this program – about the DNP program at Boise State University – is the collegiality that I felt, the connection that I felt with the professors.
[Lynette Marshall, DNP, MN, NP-C RN, Pasco, Washington – DNP Alumna, Class of 2017]: They’re truly there at your beck and call – they’re very supportive.
[Leslie Hough Falk]: It was just amazing to me, the genuine care that people had, the encouragement, and the expertise.
[Lea Keesee]: The online technology from the Boise State DNP Program was pretty streamlined. It was easy to access.
[Leslie Hough Falk]: We used an ongoing, interactive platform that we communicated with. We did Google Hangouts, we would also do projects together with other people within out cohort.
[Tracy Fawns]: And then we also had executive sessions on campus where we got to know each other very well, and staying really connected is something I wanted. So I didn’t feel that it was a strictly online program at all. It was a lot more connection.
[Lea Keesee]: Along the way we’ve really developed some strong relationships.
[Leslie Hough Falk]: I saw this as an opportunity to continue to learn, and to provide better care for my patients and to organizations that I work with.
(Graphic: Boise State University Doctor of Nursing Practice in Leadership: a DNP for nurse leaders. Apply today: https://www.boisestate.edu/nursing-dnp/)