Your goal statement should be typed and no more than 2 pages in length. It should reflect your future goals, your strengths, and your weaknesses. It should be concise and to the point. Your goal statement will be reviewed as a writing sample, so be sure to write clearly and succinctly and check your punctuation and spelling. Please limit each response to 250 words.  

Include the following: 

  1. Purpose: Describe why you are seeking a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree at this point in your career.  In your response, you may choose to discuss what motivates you to pursue the DNP, the passion behind your decision, why doctoral preparation is important to your professional goals, or any combination of these examples.  

  1. Future Contributions: What are your long-term professional goals as a DNP-prepared nurse?  In your response, you may choose to describe how you envision using the DNP to influence patient outcomes, healthcare systems, leadership, policy, quality improvement, population health, or any combination of these areas. 

  1. Selected Population:  Identify the population you plan to focus on during your doctoral studies. Explain why this population aligns with your professional goals, experience, and strengths. (Example of population would be FNP, PMHNP, Health Systems/Leadership, PNP, CRNA etc.) 

  1. Dual Program Applicants Only. If you are applying for a dual program, please describe your reasons for pursuing dual preparation. How do you anticipate integrating both roles in your future practice, leadership, or career goals?