Stacey Wall, MS '06, DNP '15, has a vision for the future: nurse practitioners as hospitalists.

“My goal is to implement an inpatient hospitalist clinical rotation for nurse practitioner students at Children’s Hospital Colorado’s main campus as well as several network of care satellite locations,” Wall says. “I see the DNP program as an opportunity to advance my career as a nurse leader and broaden the clinical and educational opportunities of nurse practitioners with the University of Colorado and Children’s Hospital Colorado community. I plan to strengthen and integrate my skills as clinician, leader and educator in the DNP program.”

Advanced-practice nurses are well suited to meet the needs our changing health care system, Wall says. “They provide quality patient care and coordination of health care resources in multiple settings, including primary, acute and specialty care.” Wall’s goal is to complete the DNP program and advance her career in pediatric nursing leadership at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

It’s a worthy goal, and one that will take a strong leader to accomplish, but Wall believes she is a born leader and has extensive experience: She is not only a doctoral student in the College of Nursing, but also the director of the Advanced Practice Hospitalist Program at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

“I started working with the hospitalist team in 2006 alongside one other pediatric nurse practitioner in the new role of PNP hospitalist. Since its inception, the program has grown from two part-time pediatric nurse practitioner hospitalists to six full-time pediatric nurse practitioners,” she says.

Additionally, Wall participates in several hospital-wide committees, including the Advanced Practice Shared Governance Council, the Division of Nursing Service Excellence Pillar Goal Committee and the Center for Clinical and Operational Excellence.

“I am now in a leadership position and understand the need to advance my career through the DNP program in order to advocate for the profession I have grown to love.”

Wall is also a 2013 recipient of the University of Colorado Alumni Association Scholarship.

“I hope to be a positive role model for my children by continuing my education and by demonstrating the value of ongoing education for professional advancement and personal satisfaction,” she says. “Earning this scholarship illustrates the reward and recognition that is possible with hard work, integrity and perseverance.”