The New York State Regents today approved and registered Columbia University ‘s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DrNP) degree, the first-ever clinical doctorate in nursing program in the country preparing nurses for highly sophisticated practice. Columbia University Trustees approved the new degree in June 2004. Built on evidence derived from over 10 years of increasing independence and scientific inquiry, including a randomized trial published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, Columbia University School of Nursing faculty developed the DrNP degree to educate nurses for the highest level of clinical expertise, including sophisticated diagnostic and treatment competencies. The degree builds upon advanced practice at the master’s degree level and prepares graduates for fully accountable professional roles in several nursing specialties. The program is comprised of 30 credits of science underpinning practice, a year of full-time residency, and the completion of a scholarly portfolio of complex case studies, scholarly papers and published articles.
