March 2010

Instep
Advanced Practice
Nurses and Physicians—

Partners in Continuity of Care

The University of Kentucky College of Nursing, a leader in advanced
practice programs, opened the first Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Program in the nation in 2001. With the evolution of the profession and
new guidelines from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing
(AACN), the College has once again been a pioneer by being among the
first to transition from the master’s degree to the doctorate for advanced
practice, and offering a post-baccalaureate entry option to the DNP
Program to prepare nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, public
health nurses and nurse managers. This professional, clinical-doctoral
program also prepares nurses for the highest executive level positions.

Making the decision
Vicky Turner, MSN, ACNP-BC, RN, CCRN, UK HealthCare, recalls
when she was a registered nurse she was triaging patients on the phone, in
the clinic, and in the hospital. With all of those responsibilities came
expectations for superior performance.
“I knew that I needed to have a greater depth of knowledge and be able to
intervene from a different skill set,” said Turner. By working at a higher
level, Turner would be able to provide more advanced care for patients
and keep the surgeons she worked with in the operating room. So, Turner
enrolled in the graduate program at the College of Nursing, graduating
in 2001 as an acute care nurse practitioner.
continued inside

Clockwise: Vicky Turner, MSN, ACNP-BC, RN, CCRN;
Lacey Troutman Buckler, MSN, ACNP-BC, RN; and Chand Ramaiah, MD

for the

Commonwealth

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