Selection Criteria for Project Mentor

In addition to identifying a Practice Immersion site, DNP students are also required to identify a Project Mentor.

DNP students engage in the practice immersion experience under the guidance of a qualified on-site mentor. Mentorship may involve direct and indirectly monitored practice immersion experiences since the student is not engaging in Practice Immersion tasks associated with a licensure scope outside the license they already hold in preparation for any additional licensure or certification. Students are highly recommended to spend the majority of their practice immersion experience with DNP mentors. Students may change mentors during the program, but must communicate with the OFE and secure all necessary approvals prior to engaging in the practice immersion experience.

The DNP Mentor must be:

Project Mentors are required to hold a doctoral degree to effectively guide doctoral-level students. While it is strongly recommended to partner with a mentor who has a DNP, if a DNP mentor is unavailable, it is acceptable to collaborate with a medical doctor (DO or MD) or another doctorally prepared individual (e.g., PhD in nursing or medical field). If no doctorally prepared mentor is available within the organization or its partnerships, students may need to look for other organizations for their practice setting for their projects. Additionally, students may submit the Project Mentor Information & Acknowledgement Form (Appendix G) to propose an alternate doctorally prepared mentor, such as EdD with a master's in a healthcare field...
Project Mentors may not be a spouse, domestic partner, or first-degree relative of the student.
Practice Immersion mentors may be used to enhance faculty-directed Practice Immersion learning experiences, but not to replace faculty. A Practice Immersion Project Mentor shall be approved by program administration and be actively involved in the practice setting of the project.
Once the Office of Field Experience receives the Project Mentor’s licensing, credentialing, CV/Resume and certification information, the documents are sent to the Program Director who reviews and provides final approval or denial of the mentor. The approval process time varies between 2-16 weeks on average depending on the type of review and if it involves external site approvals/verification.
Project Mentors may not be your direct supervisor unless no other doctorally prepared mentor is available.
The assumption for any Practice Immersion placement is that the student will be able to communicate with the patient directly or via language line or a dedicated translator other than the Project Mentor.