Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)

The DNP Clinical Nursing Specialist program prepares graduates as expert clinicians in the pediatric  of population nursing practice with preparation for medical diagnosis and treatment of disease, injury, and disability, including prescribing medications and treatments. The CNS influences care outcomes by providing expert consultation for nursing staffs and implementing improvements in health care delivery systems with a particular expertise in evidence-based practice, safety, and quality.

Graduates will be eligible for national certification through the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Certification Corporation (Pediatric).

Requirements

The BSN-to-DNP Clinical Nurse Specialist Program requires a total of 66 semester hours of coursework for completion. The curriculum has of 56 hours of didactic coursework, and 10 hours of clinical practicum. Students may complete the program in three years (36 months) or four years (48 months).

Required Coursework

A student must complete the BSN to DNP degree within six academic years from the semester they first began coursework. Extension of time must be applied for in writing to the Division Director of Graduate Nursing, who will then make a recommendation to the Associate Dean for Nursing. The letter should explain why the degree was not completed within the time limit and should present a schedule for completing the program. Additional courses may be assigned to students who do not complete the degree within the time limit.

Academic Standards

Students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 in accordance with provisions described under "Academic Warning." All grades are included in the computation of the GPA, but no more than one grade of "C" or lower may be utilized in satisfying degree requirements. Students who achieve a GPA of less than 3.0 in any semester or term will be placed on academic warning. Students can be removed from that status by achieving a 3.0 cumulative average by the end of the next six hours of enrollment. If a student should fail to do so, further enrollment will be granted only by the special recommendation of the Division Director of Graduate Nursing and with permission of the Associate Dean for Nursing.

An "I" (incomplete) grade is recorded when the student and instructor have determined that the work required for a course cannot be completed within the term of enrollment due to circumstances beyond the student's control. Under no circumstances will a grade of "I" be given to avoid earning an "F" for the course.

The "I" grade must be removed within the first 60 days of the regular semester immediately following or it is changed to an "F." Any extension of this time must have written approval of the instructor and the Associate Dean for Nursing.

Until the "I" grade is removed, progression in the program will be at the discretion of the Division Director of Graduate Nursing.
The practicum and project must be completed within two academic years.

Grade Point Average

Two GPAs are maintained by TCU:

A semester average based on courses taken at TCU during a particular term; and a cumulative average based on all work attempted at TCU.

A student's GPA is computed by dividing the number of grade points (grade points earned per semester hour for the successful completion of academic work) by the number of hours (total credit hours attempted at TCU, excluding those attempted on a pass/no-credit basis.