Nursing, Transformative Leadership: Systems

The Transformative Leadership: Systems Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is a transformational leadership program designed for the master's-prepared nurse who wishes to gain expertise in improving outcomes and leading change at a systems level. The DNP curriculum builds on your previous master's program by providing education in effective project planning, transformational leadership, policy advocacy, and systems level thinking among other key areas. 

The transition to the DNP transformational leadership program better prepares APRNs for their current roles given the calls for new models of care delivery and the growing complexity of health care. The American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) defines advanced nursing practice as any form of nursing intervention that influences healthcare outcomes for individuals or populations, including the provision of direct care or management of care for individual patients or populations, and the provision of indirect care such as nursing administration, executive leadership, health policy, informatics, and population health. Organizational and systems leadership knowledge and skills are critical for DNP graduates to:

• Develop and evaluate new models of care delivery
• Improve health outcomes in a variety of health care settings
• Transform health policy
• Create and sustain change at the organization and systems levels.

"The ability to develop and adapt care delivery and evaluate outcomes is essential for DNP graduates to mold practice and improve the health and well-being of populations"(AACN, 2015). 

1. Application form - You must create an account to apply. Please click the following link to begin the process:
2. Unofficial transcripts - An unofficial copy of your transcript from every college and university attended is required, even if only one course was completed. Transfer credits listed on another transcript does not waive the submissions of a transcript from that school. Copies should be uploaded online via the application system only.
3. Grade point average - GPAs must be converted to a 4.0 scale.
4. Standardized test scores - Standardized test scores are optional for all programs. Applicants applying to the Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program have the option to submit GRE scores. Please upload a copy of your ETS score report online with your application (even if you have already sent in an official copy to the Graduate College via ETS). Applicants applying to the Biotechnology and Clinical Research MS Program may submit GRE, MCAT, PCAT, GMAT or DAT scores with their application.
5. TOEFL/IELTS scores - Scores must be submitted for international applicants who have received a diploma from a university at which English is not the language of instruction. TOEFL/IELTS scores will be waived for non-native English speakers who have completed a Bachelor’s degree or higher from a US accredited institution and have demonstrated language proficiency supported by the interview. TOEFL and IELTS are the only scores the Graduate College will accept.
6. Applicant fee - A $50 application fee is required to submit the application.
7. CV/Resume - A CV or resume is required and should include academic honors, awards received in college and/or graduate school, employment history, internships, summer research programs, education history, etc.
8. Statement of purpose - Describe your current research interests as they pertain to your desire to complete the program to which you apply. Please also include specific details about your past research experience. Your statement of purpose should be limited to one page.

9. Letters of Recommendation – Three letters of recommendation are required for all programs. The Graduate College will only accept professional or institutional email addresses, personal email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. will not be accepted. Letters must be uploaded by the online application directly by your recommenders. The Graduate College does accept Interfolio letters of recommendation.

10. Background Check and Immunizations- Prior to matriculation, you will need to complete a criminal background check and submit your immunization records through CastleBranch. Upon acceptance into a program, The Graduate College Admissions Team will contact you with further instructions on ordering your package through CastleBranch.

11. International students (those with a degree outside the U.S.) must also submit the following:
    • Official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores. Scores can be emailed directly to the Graduate College. We will waive the TOEFL/IELTS requirement if you completed your degree in a country where the official language is English. 
    • Official course-by-course evaluation from Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), or World Education Services (WES) only. Please review their web site for their individual requirements for evaluation. Once completed, they can then email the formal evaluation directly to Rush.
12. Rush/Stroger residents and fellows need to submit United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores.

We recommend that you complete the required RUSH University fields and submit your application well before the deadline. It can take several weeks for RUSH University to verify your transcripts and calculate GPAs after you submit the application and transcripts have been received.

Please review the required fields in the sections below that you need to complete before you can submit an application.

• Personal information
• Academic history
• Supporting information
• Program materials

You must complete required fields and submit your application by the posted deadline. Otherwise, we will not consider your application for admission. As programs are competitive, we strongly advise that you also submit all required documents to RUSH University prior to the application deadline.

You should check your personal application page on the RUSH University application portal to monitor that your transcripts and recommendations were successfully transmitted. Our admissions staff will also be working with you to ensure that your application is complete.