Students enrolled in select Doctor of Nursing Practice concentrations who plan to teach in a nursing program after graduation, or who are currently teaching in a school of nursing, may be eligible for Nurse Faculty Loan Program funding.
- National Faculty Loan Programs
- National Faculty Loan Program Portal
- National Faculty Loan Program Scam
- National Faculty Loan Forgiveness Program
The Nurse Faculty Loan Program loan covers costs for tuition, books, fees, and software. The loan is 85% cancelable after working fulltime in the same faculty position for four consecutive years.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announce a program that provides for the repayment of educational loan debt of health professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Individuals who qualify must have an educational loan. Nurse Faculty Loan Program. The Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) is a low-interest Federal loan repayment program offered by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Schools of Nursing (SON) who offer MSN and doctoral degrees with specific Nurse Educator tracks can apply for the grant. Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NLFP) NFLP is a loan for advanced education nursing students who plan to be nurse faculty, meaning they plan to teach nursing. It’s not only a loan forgiveness program, but also an actual loan that covers two semesters of costs for tuition, software, books, and fees.
The loan cancellation over the four-year period is as follows: 20% of the principal and interest may be canceled upon completion of each of the first, second, and third years of full-time employment, which, after the three-year period, totals 60%, followed by the cancellation of 25% of the principal and interest upon completion of the fourth year of full-time employment as a faculty member in an accredited school of nursing.
Upon completion of the program and following graduation, an amount up to 85 percent of the loan (principal of and interest on) may be cancelled by the institution as follows: 20 percent upon completion of the first, second, and third years of full-time faculty employment in an accredited school of nursing; and 25 percent upon completion of the. The HRSA Faculty Loan Repayment Program established to encourage more and more professionals who are working in the health care system to become members of healthcare faculty. For the population of The United States that require this opportunity, this program is considered very beneficial as well as to those healthcare workers.
Repayment on the remaining 15% of the loan balance is postponed during the cancellation period. NFLP loans accrue interest at a rate of 3% per annum beginning 3 months after graduation (per PHS Act Section 846A (c)(6)(A)) for loan recipients who establish employment as nurse faculty.
To apply for the Nurse Faculty Loan Program, post-master's D.N.P. students must:
- Be enrolled full-time or part-time in the post-master's D.N.P. OR the B.S.N. to D.N.P. Health Systems and Administration
- Agree to take four nurse educator courses in addition to established program of study
- Be in good academic standing
- Meet citizenship requirements
Flexible Web-Based Programs Designed for Busy Nursing Professionals
The WesternU Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is designed for the advanced practice nurse who has completed their master’s degree in nursing. Our online distance education program is designed to meet the needs of the working professional. The program includes the following integrated elements:
- Web-based curriculum.
- DNP practice hours working with an affiliated practice partner.
- A culminating DNP scholarly practice project.
The University is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC).The DNP program is professionally accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
About the Program
Western University’s DNP program provides comprehensive preparation for nursing at the highest level of practice. The practice doctorate is firmly established as the terminal degree in nursing practice. The DNP prepares students for the expanding role, functions and needs of future practice. Transforming health care delivery recognizes the critical need for clinicians to design, evaluate, and continuously improve the context in which care is delivered. Nurses prepared at the practice doctoral level with a blend of clinical, organizational, economic, and leadership skills, will be able to significantly impact health care outcomes. DNP graduates will practice in diverse leadership roles in a variety of settings, designing the future health care system, managing population-based and clinical quality initiatives, as executives of healthcare organizations, as directors of clinical programs, and as faculty responsible for nursing educational program delivery and clinical teaching.
To provide maximum scheduling and pacing flexibility while eliminating the need to commute daily to campus, the College of Graduate Nursing uses a combination of self-directed learning activities, collaborative practice projects, and intensive weekend seminars.
The Curriculum
Full-time students complete the program in two years. An extended track option is available which students complete the program in three years. Each course listed under each semester is taken concurrently and NOT one course at a time
Please click on the links below to view the DNP program curriculum (course number/title and unit value by semester):
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Curriculum (p. 87, CGN catalog)
An extended track option is available for students that choose to take one additional year to complete the program. Students may choose the extended track option if they feel more time is needed to complete their education in order to meet career, family, and other outside commitments/obligations. The extended track is also a viable option for students who feel that the additional year will allow them to complete the program at a pace that better suits their learning goals. Students who choose the extended track option will still be eligible for financial aid.
You can also access the curriculum grids by visiting the first page of the College of Graduate Nursing Student Catalogand scrolling to the respective page within the catalog or by clicking on the respective section in the Table of Contents.
National Faculty Loan Programs
Please visit the Course Descriptions Gbd movie. section within the College of Graduate Nursing Student Catalog to obtain course description information.
For more information regarding the DNP curriculum, please contact:
Donna M. Emanuele, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, CNS, FAANP
Director, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program and Associate Professor
E-mail: demanuele@westernu.edu
Kelley Montz, MA
Manager, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program
E-mail:kmontz@westernu.edu
National Faculty Loan Program Portal
Admissions Information
For information regarding prerequisite coursework and application requirements, please review the DNP admissions information, or if you are ready you may submit an online application. If you have any questions regarding the application requirements, please contact the Admissions Office at (909) 469-5335.
Self-Directed Learning Activities
The World Wide Web provides a unique opportunity to offer students an individualized learning community that would be impossible through other media. Online education provides an environment which facilitates critical thinking and interactive learning. Learning activities include discussion forums, presentations, and scholarly papers.
Weekend Seminars
There are two seminar intensives required each semester: the first seminar intensive is face-to-face and the second seminar intensive will be delivered virtually. The weekend seminars provide an opportunity for faculty-student interaction, professional development activities, and student/group presentations. To view Weekend Seminars and other important college-specific dates, please view the Academic Calendar.
Seminar Intensives (starting with the Fall 2020 Cohort)
Beginning with the fall 2020 cohort, the DNP program will be offering a bookends approach to seminar intensives that will be offered at the beginning of the first year and conclude at the end of the program. The design is intended to incorporate doctoral scholar activities during a three day session that will occur during Orientation/Welcome Week and Commencement Week. A mid-point two day virtual seminar intensive will occur at the end of the first year. All seminar intensives are mandatory, but aligned with the on-campus requirements of Orientation/Welcome Week and Commencement. The following are the months of the academic year in which DNP students will participate in seminar intensives:
First Year DNP Students
- Fall Semester (August) – three days on campus, face-to-face seminar intensive (to coincide with Orientation/Welcome Week)
- Spring Semester (April) – two day virtual seminar intensive
Second Year DNP Students
- Summer Semester (May) – three days on campus, face-to-face seminar intensive (to coincide with Commencement Week)
Practice Hours
1000 hours of practice experience (direct or indirect) are required to meet the DNP standards. A minimum of 500 of the required hours must be obtained at the Post-Masters DNP level. Practice hours will be recorded and monitored throughout each semester and a faculty member serves as a coordinator for the practice experience. In addition each student will have a clinical resource person at each agency in which they complete practice hours. As a practice-based program, it is expected that students complete all practice hour requirements and the practice project.
Student Assessment
Graduates of the DNP program will have knowledge, skills, and abilities that are important across health care settings including an advanced understanding of nursing and health care science; health care system leadership; clinical scholarship and evidence-based practice; transformational information systems; health care advocacy and policy; interdisciplinary collaboration; care delivery improvement; and population-based care of vulnerable populations. Besides course specific assessment such as discussion forums, seminar participation, presentations, and scholarly written work, students will develop an individual portfolio to serve as a representation of their progression through the program and achievement of program outcome competencies.
Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP)
National Faculty Loan Program Scam
Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) and the College of Graduate Nursing (CGN) takes part in the Health Resource and Services Administration’s (HRSA) National Faculty Loan Program (NFLP). NFLP is a forgivable federally subsidized loan guarantee program available to individuals seeking doctoral preparation for the purposes of becoming a faculty member at an accredited school of nursing. NFLP is a loan forgiving program that covers the cost of tuition and fees for obtaining the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.
National Faculty Loan Forgiveness Program
For more information about the NFLP program, please visit theNurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP)web page.