Family Nurse Practitioner DNP

Our Approach

RUSH University is well known for its practitioner-teacher model.

You learn from faculty who are active practitioners at a top-tier academic medical center, RUSH University Medical Center.

Many faculty also practice at specialty clinics, urgent care clinics school based health centers, free are clinics and federally qualified health centers.

This means many program advisers and clinical faculty are practicing nurse practitioners who have clinical experience that will enrich your learning.

Advisers work closely as mentors for doctoral projects and clinical rotations. As a small program, our advisers can spend significant time with our students to maximize learning, foster leadership skills and diagnostic reasoning.

We provide clinical workshops in combination with our large simulation center to prepare students for clinical learning and enhance clinical skills.

You will become leaders in your field, with a focus on both clinical excellence and ability to lead initiatives to improve health outcomes. Our students and graduates:

• Diagnose and manage acute and chronic conditions
• Provide independent and comprehensive care to patients managing complex health conditions
• Emphasize preventive care and promote healthy lifestyle choices
• Educate and collaborate with patients in managing chronic health issues
• Lead teams to implement quality improvement strategies in their health care settings for populations of interest

Program Length and Location

Our program takes 2 ½ to 3 ½ years to complete, depending on whether you attend full-time or part-time.

Most classes are offered online.

Plans of study are individualized for your learning needs.

There are options for fully online learning with minimal campus visits or a hybrid of online and in-person courses.

Some classes are offered both online and on campus. A few core courses are only offered online.

Clinical practice sites are located in the Chicago area, so all students must live nearby.

All students are required to be on campus for the following activities:

• Program orientation: One-day, on-campus orientation (usually September).
• Health assessment: One to two days on campus.
• Orientation to the DNP project and clinical rotations: Typically the term before beginning clinicals. Usually lasts a half day.
• FNP management clinicals: Typically four days per term, for three terms of clinical for the purpose of clinical evaluation and simulation.
• DNP project problem statement presentation: Mid-program and usually lasts a half day.
• DNP project proposal: Just before beginning DNP project implementation and usually lasts one day.
• DNP project final presentation: In the last term of the project and usually lasts one day.

Certification

After completing the program, you will be eligible for certification as a family nurse practitioner (FNP).

Certification is earned by taking the exam offered by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners or the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Program Tuition

At RUSH University, we know your education is a big investment. We want to make sure you have all the information to be able to make the best financial decisions for you and your family.

Tuition for the Family Nurse Practitioner DNP program is $1,344 per credit hour.

Learn about student financial aid options.

Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP) Career Opportunities

Our graduates practice all over the country and often choose to work in the following areas:

• Family practice
• Adult internal medicine
• Primary care
• Pediatrics
• Specialty clinics
• Urgent/emergency care
• Women’s health

Our graduates are also employed in many other settings, depending on their interest. These settings include the following:

• Convenient care clinics
• Emergency departments
• Nursing schools
• Outpatient ambulatory settings
• Private practice
• Public health clinics
• Specialty practice
• Underserved community settings

Employment of nurse practitioners is expected to grow 40% from 2021-31. This is much faster than the average for other professions.

In 2021, the median salary for full-time nurse practitioners was $113,000, according to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.