Welcome to the University of Iowa Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Health Systems program. My name is Dr. M. Lindell Joseph, and I am the Graduate Health Systems Program Director. I am the advisor to all Health Systems DNP students. The College of Nursing’s nursing administration program has been a prominent national center for the preparation of nurse leaders, managers, and nurse executives since the 1970s. We have a long, distinguished, and proud history of being on the forefront of leadership and management knowledge and future nurse leader preparation.

We are highly ranked by U.S. News & World Report in nursing administration, approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing, and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). This program of study is designed to prepare DNP leaders for future workforce needs and to reshape healthcare delivery and nursing practice across a dynamic and complex health care system.

Our research is cutting edge and will influence your preparation for a future health care delivery system. Our faculty have research expertise with artificial intelligence, nursing informatics, human factors, high reliability organizations, innovations across practice and academia, shared governance effectiveness, teams, well-being, nurse fatigue, scope of practice, administration, health policy, quality improvement, complex decision making and emergency response.

Our program blends superb academics with first-rate administrative practicum experiences to produce exceptional nurse leaders, managers, and executives for organizations and systems across the care continuum. We admit students with a BSN (BSN to DNP), Master’s in Nursing non-health systems (MSN non HS to DNP), and Master’s in Nursing health systems (MSN HS to DNP). We accept qualified applicants with a fit to our program’s focus, with no cap on our cohorts.

We pride ourselves on our commitment to student success and the individualization of experiences. For example, faculty locate and arrange for administrative practicum experiences in consultation with each student and provide the student with important experiences to stretch or augment areas of knowledge and skill development. We have excellent Student Services support.

If you want to be one of the most remarkable nurse leaders in the country, re-position your career, or build a nursing legacy, you need to be a Hawkeye; and we’d love to talk with you.

M. Lindell Joseph, PhD, RN FAAN, FAONL
Clinical Professor and Director, Health Systems Program