George Washington University School of Nursing Phases Out Some DNP Program Options, Offers New Degrees As Enrollment Declines

The George Washington (GW) University School of Nursing has announced that it will be phasing out some of its doctoral degree options and offering new degrees amid an enrollment decline. University data documents that enrollment in a School of Nursing graduate program has been cut in half since its first year, and nursing school officials estimate that the decrease is due to a growing focus on advanced practice nursing.

When the GW School of Nursing first opened in 2010, seventy-six students were enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, but only 38 students registered for the program in 2019. The decline is due to an effort to phase out some of the DNP specialty concentrations to increase the school’s focus on advanced practice nursing education in fields like nursing administration.

Mercedes Echevarria, assistant dean, reports that nursing school officials decided to increase focus on advanced nursing practice roles in 2015, including programs like nursing administration and population health, in response to national workforce trends.

Echevarria tells gwhatchet.com, “As GW Nursing sunsets programs in response to these variables, we offset enrollment strategically through growth in other programs and/or launch of new programs that fit with current and future healthcare community needs.”

GW nursing school officials have used market trends and national nursing school enrollment trends to analyze the needs of the nursing profession and community to plan for enrollment shifts over a five-year period. In response, the nursing school has grown its accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and launched new advanced practice nursing tracks including Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Adult Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner programs as well as a PhD in Nursing program.