A world-class city filled with art and culture and an incredible campus that offers cutting edge resources–that’s what students receive at Penn Nursing. And that’s just the start. Penn Nursing and the wider university offer something for everyone, as well as a lifelong community.
Penn Nursing is globally known for educating dynamic nurses—because our School values evidence-based science and health equity. That’s where our expertise lies, whether in research, practice, community health, or beyond. Everything we do upholds a through-line of innovation, encouraging our exceptional students, alumni, and faculty share their knowledge and skills to reshape health care.
Penn Nursing students are bold and unafraid, ready to embrace any challenge that comes their way. Whether you are exploring a career in nursing or interested in advancing your nursing career, a Penn Nursing education will help you meet your goals and become an innovative leader, prepared to change the face of health and wellness.
Penn Nursing is the #1-ranked nursing school in the country. Its highly-ranked programs help develop highly-skilled leaders in health care who are prepared to work alongside communities to tackle issues of health equity and social justice to improve health and wellness for everyone.
Penn Nursing’s rigorous academic curricula are taught by world renowned experts, ensuring that students at every level receive an exceptional Ivy League education. From augmented reality classrooms and clinical simulations to coursework that includes experiential global travel to clinical placements in top notch facilities, a Penn Nursing education prepares our graduates to lead.
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Penn Nursing has been a leader in the science and practice of nursing since 1886. Being at the forefront of advancing science, delivering solutions, and shaping health policy and practice, the goal of the DNP program is developing leaders in practice innovation.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program develops leadership expertise tailored to current and future healthcare and public health challenges while reinforcing foundational knowledge to advance innovative, forward-thinking skills. Penn Nursing DNP scholars are equipped with a cutting-edge toolkit for impactful practice leadership.
Leveraging Penn Nursing’s extraordinary faculty and its global network, special guest presenters are engaged throughout the curriculum. An extracurricular enrichment series, Quaker Chats, hosts thought leaders, innovators and luminaries in presentations that take the form of intimate conversations. With attention to matters of clinical scholarship and practice leadership, the series is dedicated to the potential within each DNP scholar.
By leveraging clinical nursing knowledge and rigorous scholarship, the DNP in Systems Leadership prepares nurses to lead changes in healthcare delivery while maintaining their commitment to direct patient care & clinical excellence.
DNP in Executive Leadership (DNP-EL)
The DNP in Executive Leadership prepares nurses who have current leadership experience with the executive-level skills to lead organizational change.
DNP in Nurse Anesthesia (DNP-NA)
The DNP in Nurse Anesthesia is designed to prepare graduates for the full scope of nurse anesthesia practice, meeting the essentials for DNP education and additional APRN competencies and standards.
For information regarding Penn Nursing accreditation, please visit our Accreditation page.
Program Outcomes
Standards for nursing education are established by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The Essentials (2021) outline the foundational competencies that are core to all advanced nursing practice roles. The 2021 Essentials underpin the DNP curriculum that prepares leaders to identify and meet the health needs of society. Penn DNP graduates are prepared as practice scholars who integrate evidence into practice while inspiring a culture of inquiry and action in their everyday work. Penn Nursing has developed the DNP program with a specific aim to prepare highly impactful leaders in practice and executive leadership.
Translate and apply evidence into practice and policy to equitably and ethically inform the delivery of health care that advances high quality outcomes (Knowledge for Nursing Practice).
Assess, plan, implement and evaluate person-centered initiatives with interprofessional teams that promote and sustain the health and well-being
of individuals, families, communities and populations (Person-Centered Care; Population Health).
Develop, evaluate, and advocate for clinical, organizational, business, and policy practices that are just, fiscally responsible, and strategic (Population Health).
Conduct and lead ethical, scholarly activities that advance practice knowledge (Scholarship for Nursing Discipline).
Apply the principles of safety and improvement science to mitigate risks and prevent errors in the delivery of cost-effective, quality healthcare within a just workplace culture that promotes workforce well-being (Quality & Safety).
Use dynamic communication strategies to lead sustainable interprofessional partnerships that foster team effectiveness and promote shared values and mutual respect in learning healthcare environments (Interprofessional Partnerships).
Contribute to strategic organizational planning to responsibly coordinate and manage resources, demonstrate value, and mitigate systemic barriers for optimized healthcare services and delivery (Systems-Based Practice).
Engage in the design, selection, and implementation of health information systems and patient care technologies to advance data-driven decision-making and evaluation of programs, outcomes, and systems of care (Informatics & Healthcare Technologies).
Embody and amplify nursing’s professional identity with a constant spirit of inquiry and reflection that demonstrates individual and collective accountability, ethical leadership, advocacy and professional activism (Professionalism).
Using emotional intelligence, cultivate collaborative work environments that equitably promote health and well-being, stimulate resilience, and advance the nursing profession (Personal, Professional, & Leadership Development).
Develop entre/intrapreneurial acumen to advance innovative health and wellness solutions (Innovation & Entrepreneurship).
Design contextually informed, strategic, and sustainable initiatives that are effectively executed through project management (Implementation & Engagement Approaches for Practice Change; Leading Change).
Demonstrate statistical literacy and independence in conducting and interpreting quality improvement and descriptive analytics and associated data visualization practices (Data Culture Empowerment).
Why Our DNP Program?
<h4> Tracy Walker</h4><p><picture class="lw_image lw_image9607 lw_align_left"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/179,204,1960,1984/9607_Penn_Nursing_ad-34.rev.1564151308.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/179,204,1960,1984/9607_Penn_Nursing_ad-34.rev.1564151308.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/179,204,1960,1984/9607_Penn_Nursing_ad-34.rev.1564151308.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/179,204,1960,1984/9607_Penn_Nursing_ad-34.rev.1564151308.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img width="250" height="250" alt="" data-decoration="true" src="/live/image/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/179,204,1960,1984/9607_Penn_Nursing_ad-34.rev.1564151308.jpg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/179,204,1960,1984/9607_Penn_Nursing_ad-34.rev.1564151308.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/179,204,1960,1984/9607_Penn_Nursing_ad-34.rev.1564151308.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2133" data-max-h="3200" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture>I remember receiving a call from a faculty member during finals week. I initially thought I must have missed a deadline on an assignment. But my course advisor was just calling to check-in. She wanted to know if I had any issues with the material and reminded me to get rest and eat. This level of support was greatly appreciated and this sense of community, along with a focus on innovation, is one of the best things about Penn Nursing. It is a very welcoming and inclusive environment; you are treated as a colleague-in-training, surrounded by the best mentors. If you experience challenges, they are framed around your growth process in nursing and faculty are always available to work through the tough moments with students.</p><p> –Tracy Walker, MSN, RN, CPNP-AP/PC</p>
<h4> Michelle Lockett</h4><p><picture class="lw_image lw_image9605 lw_align_left"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/390,1056,1601,2265/9605_UPenn_Nursing_AB-176.rev.1564151250.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/390,1056,1601,2265/9605_UPenn_Nursing_AB-176.rev.1564151250.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/390,1056,1601,2265/9605_UPenn_Nursing_AB-176.rev.1564151250.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/390,1056,1601,2265/9605_UPenn_Nursing_AB-176.rev.1564151250.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img width="250" height="250" alt="" data-decoration="true" src="/live/image/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/390,1056,1601,2265/9605_UPenn_Nursing_AB-176.rev.1564151250.jpg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/390,1056,1601,2265/9605_UPenn_Nursing_AB-176.rev.1564151250.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/390,1056,1601,2265/9605_UPenn_Nursing_AB-176.rev.1564151250.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2133" data-max-h="3200" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture>Obtaining my terminal degree from Penn Nursing was and has always been my first and only choice. I’ve known I wanted to be a nurse since the 4th grade when my church had a program to expose children of color to health care fields. A prestigious faculty member of color from Penn Nursing came to our church to discuss her career—I was blown away and wanted to be just like her. Diversity work is extremely important, especially in this day and age. We need highly trained nurse leaders to formulate policies, lobby for change and CREATE the change we wish to see in health care and in the world. Penn Nursing is the place to do this. Its facilities are state-of-the-art and there is always something new to learn. As a student and a graduate, there is rarely a closed door.</p><p> –Michelle Lockett, MSN, RN</p>
<h4> Cyd Villalba</h4><p><picture class="lw_image lw_image9606 lw_align_left"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/198,524,1966,2291/9606_Penn_Nursing_ad-129.rev.1564151308.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/198,524,1966,2291/9606_Penn_Nursing_ad-129.rev.1564151308.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/198,524,1966,2291/9606_Penn_Nursing_ad-129.rev.1564151308.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/198,524,1966,2291/9606_Penn_Nursing_ad-129.rev.1564151308.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img width="250" height="250" alt="" data-decoration="true" src="/live/image/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/198,524,1966,2291/9606_Penn_Nursing_ad-129.rev.1564151308.jpg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/198,524,1966,2291/9606_Penn_Nursing_ad-129.rev.1564151308.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/198,524,1966,2291/9606_Penn_Nursing_ad-129.rev.1564151308.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2133" data-max-h="3200" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture>I pursued nursing because of its broad opportunities, as I was always interested in multiple and seemingly unrelated things. My Master’s in Nursing Informatics and my focus in analytics as a DNP candidate exemplifies this intersection of interests and the possibilities within the profession…at Penn, the coursework is intense but stimulating, and there’s both encouragement and expectation that this unique opportunity will be used to benefit others.</p><p> –Cyd Villalba, MS, RN-BC, PMP</p>
<h4> June Treston</h4><p><picture class="lw_image lw_image9608 lw_align_left"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,704,2133,2835/9608_Penn_Nursing_ad-13.rev.1564151308.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,704,2133,2835/9608_Penn_Nursing_ad-13.rev.1564151308.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,704,2133,2835/9608_Penn_Nursing_ad-13.rev.1564151308.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,704,2133,2835/9608_Penn_Nursing_ad-13.rev.1564151308.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img width="250" height="250" alt="" data-decoration="true" src="/live/image/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,704,2133,2835/9608_Penn_Nursing_ad-13.rev.1564151308.jpg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,704,2133,2835/9608_Penn_Nursing_ad-13.rev.1564151308.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/27/width/250/height/250/crop/1/src_region/0,704,2133,2835/9608_Penn_Nursing_ad-13.rev.1564151308.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2133" data-max-h="2131" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture>At Penn, the DNP degree is not just a piece of paper. It represents a wealth of knowledge that will take me to the next level in my career. Coursework is excellent and is taught by top rated professors who are at the forefront of research and innovation in health care. Faculty are supportive and accessible, with the focus on helping students succeed. Each course has challenged me to think outside the box and has direct applicability to my current role as a clinician, educator, and leader. If you are interested in learning from the best, to become the best, choose Penn.</p><p> –June Treston, DNP class of 2021</p>
What is the difference between a PhD and a DNP program?
A Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in Nursing is a research-focused, academic program to prepare nurse scientists to conduct research that results in generalizable knowledge. A Doctor of Nursing Practice degree (DNP) in Nursing is a practice-focused, academic program to prepare leaders in practice, including leaders at the point of care and in the C-suite, to translate evidence into practice to inform context-specific knowledge.
