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Overview
The women's health nurse practitioner (WHNP) track prepares students for advanced practice nursing in the management of gynecological, prenatal and primary care of women. Advanced practice nurses (APRNs) provide high-quality health care services in a wide range of problems from acute, chronic and wellness care to health promotion, disease prevention, health education and counseling. The core courses provide a solid foundation in the use of evidence based practice guidelines and theory as a basis for the diagnosis and treatment of illness and the promotion of wellness. Clinical experiences are precepted in community or outpatient settings. UMKC SoNHS provides two degree options to obtain entry to practice as a WHNP; the MSN or DNP degree.
The BSN-DNP prepares women's health nurse practitioners (WHNP) to assume the responsibility and accountability for the health promotion, assessment, diagnosis, and management of client problems including the prescription of pharmacologic agents within their specialty area of clinical practice. The DNP degree is also for those nurses seeking a terminal degree in nursing practice that offers an alternative to research focused doctoral programs. DNP prepared nurses are well-equipped to fully implement the science developed by nurse researchers prepared in PhD, DNSc and other research focused nursing doctorates.
Quick facts
Official name
Doctor of nursing practice with an emphasis in women's health nurse practitionerCampus
Program type
DoctorateAcademic home
School of Nursing and Health StudiesDelivery mode
Blended, some campus visits requiredAccreditation
Higher Learning Commission, Commission on Collegiate Nursing EducationCredit hours
74Estimated cost
$66,729.30*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
Career prospects
Graduates take the national certification exam for their specialty and practice as a nurse practitioner in any area of the United States. They may also accept faculty positions at schools of nursing.
Program structure
Delivery of this program is blended: You will complete most course work online, but on-campus visits are required. Courses are semester-based. Students typically take one or two courses each semester and finish in four to five years.
Course work includes
- Advanced physiology across the lifespan
- Ethics in practice and research
- Health care policy and advocacy
- Cultural diversity and values
- Health promotion, across the lifespan
Delivery
Blended, some campus visits requiredCalendar system
SemesterTypical program length
4-5 yearsTypical course load
1-2 courses per semesterAccreditation
The University of Missouri-Kansas City is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.
The DNP at the School of Nursing and Health Studies is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Faculty spotlight
Dr. Cheri Barber teaches in both the Graduate and DNP programs while serving as the Coordinator for the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs at UMKC. Dr. Barber has served on many national boards as the prior President for the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) and for the Association of Faculties of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (AFPNP). Dr. Barber's areas of interest are in adolescent behavior and eating disorders. She continues to practice part-time in a pediatric primary care clinic.
Sherri Sellers, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, joined the University of Missouri-Kansas City nursing faculty in the Fall of 2018. She completed her DNP at UMKC in 2018 helping to develop a program for expedited partner therapy for positive chlamydia patients at a local county health department in the Kansas City area. She has practiced women’s health as a WHNP in private practice, public health and in corrections medicine, locally and internationally in Sydney, Australia. She is currently the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner track coordinator at UMKC and works clinically at The Midwife Group Women’s Health & Birth Center in Savannah, Georgia, and as a volunteer clinician at Hearts and Hands Clinic in her hometown of Statesboro, Georgia. She contributed to the Clinical Training Center for Sexual and Reproductive Health’s resources for Title X clinic providers on training related to basic infertility, contraceptive options and a protocol for emergency contraception. She is a member of ACOG and the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health, where she sits on committees and is a journal reviewer. Her research interest relates to reproductive rights of the incarcerated female.