Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is a top-tier nursing institution dedicated to providing an outstanding education. Ten years ago, FNU raised the bar by offering an advanced degree: the Post Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, CPC, FACNM, Interim Dean and Program Director of Post Master’s DNP at FNU answers common questions potential students ask about the Doctor of Nursing Practice program and why they should consider it.
Dr. Slager became a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) through Frontier’s program in 1991 (CNEP Class 1) after observing that the care provided by midwives was superior to traditional obstetrical care. To her, the partnership between the mother and her midwife provider was powerful in achieving healthy and satisfying birth experiences.
Even when complications arose, the shared decision making, anticipatory guidance and individualized care that embodied the midwifery model of care stood out to Dr. Slager as the best way to care for mothers and babies. She knew going into midwifery how wonderful and different the model was, but it wasn’t until she began her formal education program in midwifery that she learned how good midwives were at providing maternity care.
The decision to pursue her DNP came many years later when Dr. Slager was in a position of leadership. She desired to partner with a PhD researcher to improve care by acquiring knowledge and translating it into practice. Though she had good instincts, formal study of the DNP essentials created an armamentarium for Dr. Slager that she could draw from to implement change and improve care.
Like many practitioners, frustration over limitations to full practice authority, prescriptive authority, overly restrictive bylaws and practice agreements plagued Dr. Slager’s otherwise rewarding career.
The lessons Dr. Slager learned in the DNP program helped to develop tools essential in changing health policies and addressing barriers to practice.
When the time came to consider a transition from full time clinical practice, possessing the DNP enabled Dr. Slager to consider many more options.
Now, as Director of the Post Master’s DNP at FNU, Dr. Slager gets questions from potential DNP students every day. She answers the four most common questions below:
- Student: I have my MSN and am practicing as a CNM/NP currently. I am doing what I love in my clinical practice. Why should I obtain my DNP?
Dr. Slager: The DNP prepares the CNM/NP for clinical leadership. The focus of the DNP education is to teach students to apply evidence to practice. It takes about 14 years for research that gains new information to make its way into clinical practice and the DNP nurse is educated to decrease the time from adoption of the evidence into practice.
The individual who is educated in the DNP essentials will be in the best position to implement change and affect the changing landscape in health care. These skills will be sought after by administrators who seek to address gaps in practice or create efficiencies in healthcare delivery. As an employer, the DNP-prepared APRN will have the “competitive edge” over other applicants seeking positions.
- Student: I am currently enrolled in FNU’s MSN program and have the option to seamlessly continue into the DNP program. What are the benefits of completing the DNP now instead of coming back to finish the degree later?
Dr. Slager: Moving seamlessly into the DNP upon completion of the MSN program takes advantage of the momentum acquired through continuing in formal education. Additionally, students will be familiar with learning management systems and other technology currently in use as opposed to the inevitable change that occurs over time.
Currently at FNU, the MSN graduate has completed 9 credits or 3 didactic courses that are part of the DNP program. Eventually, as courses are revised and accreditation requirements change, these courses may not be accepted thus necessitating increased credit loads and the associated financial expense.
There is a balance, however, between the burden of learning a new role in a new career as an APRN and continuing on in a rigorous doctoral education program. Students should consider a slow and steady approach as opposed to a rapid progression through the program. Each situation is highly individualized and each student should evaluate when the time is right and at what pace they are prepared to approach this step in their formal education. The important thing is to have time to devote to mastery of the DNP essentials, not speeding as quickly as possible to the finish line.
- Student: I am considering FNU’s DNP program, but also considering other schools. What sets FNU apart from other university’s programs?
Dr. Slager: FNU has always provided exemplary education with a focus on vulnerable or underserved populations. The DNP embodies this philosophy as the desired outcome is the well prepared clinical leader who has learned to apply evidence to practice. Students implement patient outcome focused quality improvement projects in their practice site to achieve best practice.
FNU’s tuition rates are some of the most affordable in the country. An MSN and DNP combined option costs just $45,000.
Unlike other programs, FNU partners with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, using their model for quality improvement. Clinical projects must address one of the Institute of Medicine’s aims which includes improving safety, efficacy, efficiency, timely care, patient centered care or health equity.
- Student: I really want to make an impact on the patients I serve in my community. How does the DNP help me do this?
Dr. Slager: As noted above, there is a considerable delay between the time research is completed and knowledge is gained and such knowledge is translated into changes in practice. In many situations people and/or practices are resistant to change or poor consumers of research. The DNP-prepared nurse is skilled in evaluating care for best practice, implementation of the evidence and managing process or quality improvement. Additionally, DNP APRNs are formally educated to teach and mentor new clinicians, assume clinical leadership responsibilities and affect change in health policy
Prior to the development of the DNP degree, seasoned clinicians rose to leadership positions through years of trial and error. The DNP graduate has the advantage of an accelerated skill acquisition process through an education program that creates opportunities for mentoring and guidance from experienced faculty.
The Institute of Medicine has identified the DNP prepared APRN as the professional best equipped to bridge the ‘Quality Chasm’ that exists between evidence and best practice, allowing for better patient outcomes for mother and baby.
Carrie Belin is an experienced board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and a graduate of the Johns Hopkins DNP program, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Georgetown University School of Nursing, and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She has also completed fellowships at Georgetown and the University of California Irvine.
Angie has been a full-scope midwife since 2009. She has experience in various birth settings including home, hospital, and birth centers. She is committed to integrating the midwifery model of care in the US. She completed her master’s degree in nurse-midwifery at Frontier Nursing University (FNU) and her Doctorate at Johns Hopkins University. She currently serves as the midwifery clinical faculty at FNU. Angie is motivated by the desire to improve the quality of healthcare and has led quality improvement projects on skin-to-skin implementation, labor induction, and improving transfer of care practices between hospital and community midwives. In 2017, she created a short film on skin-to-skin called 
Justin C. Daily, BSN, RN, has ten years of experience in nursing. At the start of his nursing career, Justin worked as a floor nurse on the oncology floor at St. Francis. He then spent two years as the Director of Nursing in a small rural Kansas hospital before returning to St. Francis and the oncology unit. He has been in his current position as the Chemo Nurse Educator for the past four years. He earned an Associate in Nurse from Hutchinson Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bethel College.
Brandy Jackson serves as the Director of Undergraduate Nursing Programs and Assistant Educator at Wichita State University and Co-Director of Access in Nursing. Brandy is a seasoned educator with over 15 years of experience. Before entering academia, Brandy served in Hospital-based leadership and Critical Care Staff nurse roles. Brandy is passionate about equity in nursing education with a focus on individuals with disabilities. Her current research interests include accommodations of nursing students with disabilities in clinical learning environments and breaking down barriers for historically unrepresented individuals to enter the nursing profession. Brandy is also actively engaged in Interprofessional Education development, creating IPE opportunities for faculty and students at Wichita State. Brandy is an active member of Wichita Women for Good and Soroptimist, with the goal to empower women and girls. Brandy is a TeamSTEPPS master trainer. She received the DASIY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty in 2019 at Wichita State University. 
Dr. Sabrina Ali Jamal-Eddine is an Arab-disabled queer woman of color with a PhD in Nursing and an interdisciplinary certificate in Disability Ethics from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Dr. Jamal-Eddine’s doctoral research explored spoken word poetry as a form of critical narrative pedagogy to educate nursing students about disability, ableism, and disability justice. Dr. Jamal-Eddine now serves as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in UIC’s Department of Disability and Human Development and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND). During her doctoral program, Sabrina served as a Summer Fellow at a residential National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute at Arizona State University (2023), a summer fellow at Andrew W. Mellon’s National Humanities Without Walls program at University of Michigan (2022), a Summer Research Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute (2021), and an Illinois Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) trainee (2019-2020).
Vanessa Cameron works for Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nursing Education & Professional Development. She is also attending George Washington University and progressing towards a PhD in Nursing with an emphasis on ableism in nursing. After becoming disabled in April 2021, Vanessa’s worldview and perspective changed, and a recognition of the ableism present within healthcare and within the culture of nursing was apparent. She has been working since that time to provide educational foundations for nurses about disability and ableism, provide support for fellow disabled nursing colleagues, and advocate for the disabled community within healthcare settings to reduce disparities.
Dr. Lucinda Canty is a certified nurse-midwife, Associate Professor of Nursing, and Director of the Seedworks Health Equity in Nursing Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Columbia University, a master’s degree from Yale University, specializing in nurse-midwifery, and a PhD from the University of Connecticut. Dr. Canty has provided reproductive health care for over 29 years. Her research interests include the prevention of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, reducing racial and ethnic health disparities in reproductive health, promoting diversity in nursing, and eliminating racism in nursing and midwifery.
Dr. Lisa Meeks is a distinguished scholar and leader whose unwavering commitment to inclusivity and excellence has significantly influenced the landscape of health professions education and accessibility. She is the founder and executive director of the DocsWithDisabilities Initiative and holds appointments as an Associate Professor in the Departments of Learning Health Sciences and Family Medicine at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Nikia Grayson, DNP, MSN, MPH, MA, CNM, FNP-C, FACNM (she/her) is a trailblazing force in reproductive justice, blending her expertise as a public health activist, anthropologist, and family nurse-midwife to champion the rights and health of underserved communities. Graduating with distinction from Howard University, Nikia holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in public health. Her academic journey also led her to the University of Memphis, where she earned a master’s in medical anthropology, and the University of Tennessee, where she achieved both a master’s in nursing and a doctorate in nursing practice. Complementing her extensive education, she completed a post-master’s certificate in midwifery at Frontier Nursing University.
Dr. Tia Brown McNair is the Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC. She oversees both funded projects and AAC&U’s continuing programs on equity, inclusive excellence, high-impact practices, and student success. McNair directs AAC&U’s Summer Institutes on High-Impact Practices and Student Success, and TRHT Campus Centers and serves as the project director for several AAC&U initiatives, including the development of a TRHT-focused campus climate toolkit. She is the lead author of From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education (January 2020) and Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success (July 2016 and August 2022 Second edition).