Doctorate of Nursing Practice earns 10-year accreditation extension

UTC’s Doctorate of Nursing Practice program has earned 10 more years of accreditation.

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education recently granted accreditation that lasts until June 30, 2028 for the DNP program.

“The commissioners join me in expressing our very best wishes as you continue to promote excellence in nursing education,” Judith Lewis, chair of the CCNE Board of Commissioners, said in the letter informing the School of Nursing that it had received the accreditation extension.

Chris Smith, director of the School of Nursing, says the board’s decision “means that the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education officially recognizes the outstanding work that our faculty has done on behalf of the DNP students, past and present.”

The DNP program began in 2010 and graduated its first class in 2012. The initial certification for the program was five years, explains Smith, so “earning the full 10-year accreditation allows the faculty to continue to focus on supporting the students as they work on projects which will change practice in their respective areas of specialization.”

Most doctoral programs are research-focused, but a DNP trains students already working as nurses in clinical practice and also those in nursing leadership and management. Students who earn a DNP are the most highly educated and qualified practitioners in nursing and are qualified to teach the future clinicians and leaders in the profession.