Biostatistics Course in Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs in the United States

Subject population: All doctor of nursing practice (DNP) programs listed on American Association Colleges of Nursing (AACN) program directory of DNP website at the time of the research.

Research design: A quantitative content analysis of DNP programs’ websites will be conducted.

Instrument: Since the proposed study will analyze website contents, no survey instrument is needed.

Procedure: All schools offering DNP programs listed on AACN’s DNP program directory will be classified into four census regions: west, midwest, south, and northeast regions. 25 schools from each region will be randomly selected. This study will explore the regional differences in the following aspects:  1) At what point does the program provide the Biostatistics course, at the beginning of the curriculum or toward the midpoint of the curriculum? 2) The proportion of biostatistics course credits toward the total credits of the program requirement.  3) GRE requirement at admission and how that affects whether the Biostatistics course is given by the DNP program. 4) Graduate level statistics courses as a prerequisite at the time of admission and how that affects whether the Biostatistics course is given by the DNP program. 5) How DNP programs label their Biostatistics course.