Stephanie Key, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, FAANP
For Dr. Stephanie Key, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) represents the pinnacle of clinical nursing education—a terminal degree that propels the profession forward. Through the guidance of Dr. Key and the prestigious DNP faculty, students learn to harness their voices to drive meaningful change in healthcare, whether in the boardroom, the classroom, or in policy and legislation. Her commitment to empowering future nurse leaders ensures they graduate not only clinically competent but also ready to advocate for systemic transformation.
Dr. Key is a pediatric nurse practitioner with decades of experience in healthcare. She is a certified pediatric mental health specialist and the Director of the Post-Master's DNP Option III program. With two degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Key is a Longhorn through and through, and she loves to watch DNP students develop leadership skills, master the core competencies of advanced nursing and witness the impact of DNP scholarly projects on improving health outcomes and systems change.
WHY DNP?
It takes almost 17 years for research to make an impact on healthcare, but Dr. Key is eager for her students to have an immediate impact in the world. With a DNP degree, students will grow as leaders and scholars, digging into literature for tangible evidence and learning how to implement their research in real time.
“My background is in clinical practice,” Dr. Key said, “and I want to see impact at the bedside, in the communities and in organizations now, not in 17 years.”
MAKING THE PROGRAM WORK
Dr. Key is aware of the realities that her students are experiencing: she knows that DNP students work as nurses, many of them full time, and she is confident that UT Austin’s hybrid program is the right solution for them. With a hybrid program, UT Austin offers the rigor of an elite curriculum with the benefits of peer engagement during monthly weekend intensives.
“They will come to class once a month,” she said, “where they meet with their cohort, their faculty, [and] their project supervisors. And I find that students love the hybrid nature of our program.”
Helping Students Find Their Voices
For Dr. Key, the effects of the DNP program are far broader than one individual, one cohort or one certification. The Doctor of Nursing Practice is about achieving meaningful change in big and small ways, wherever that change is needed.
“[I want our students] to be leaders and not be afraid to share their insight [and] their thoughts, with the support of evidence and data to make a real difference in healthcare.”
Learn More About Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Explore the continuing education opportunities for nurses offered by the UT School of Nursing, including the DNP - Post Master of Science in Nursing and Alternative Entry DNP.
