Facilitating Student Success in Holy Family University’s DNP Program: Meet Dr. Jinsy Mathew, DNP Team Lead

This article was published in 2021. For current information on our DNP program, please visit our DNP program page.

Jinsy Mathew, DNP, MSN, RN, associate dean and assistant professor at Holy Family University’s School of Nursing & Health Sciences, can truly speak from experience when it comes to the value of a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from Holy Family. Dr. Mathew graduated from the program in 2020, and shortly before the start of the fall 2021 semester became DNP Team Lead at the School of Nursing & Health Sciences, responsible for overseeing the same program that she graduated from.

Holy Family’s DNP program is designed to prepare nurses for advanced practice roles as clinical scholars. Graduates of the program build on their education and experience to influence change and lead the future of nursing—much like Dr. Mathew, who now leads the DNP program at one of the top nursing schools in the Philadelphia and Bucks County regions (and recently named one of the Top 10 Accelerated Nursing Programs in Philadelphia by Best Value Schools).

Dr. Mathew’s journey to earning a DNP degree at Holy Family began after she earned her BS in Nursing at St. Martha’s College of Nursing in Bangalore, India. “I moved to the United States in 2007, took my NCLEX exam, and started working as a registered nurse in Philadelphia,” explains Dr. Mathew. “I worked in nursing homes and rehabs, and then I started working in an acute care hospital primarily on the medical surgical nursing telemetry floors. However, nursing education has always been my passion. Even back in India, I taught in different institutions in different capacities. I believe if I can prepare competent and professional nurses that would be the best thing I could bring to the nursing profession.”

In 2015, Dr. Mathew began teaching at Holy Family University as an adjunct clinical and lab instructor, teaching courses such as Foundations of Nursing and the Medical Surgical and Telemetry clinical to both traditional and Fast Track BSN nursing students. At the same time, she was earning her MS degree in Nursing Education at Immaculata University. “I had colleagues who were graduates from Holy Family and that sparked my interest in looking at the school,” recalls Dr. Mathew. “I looked at the mission and values of Holy Family, and they mirror the mission and values that I have in my life. Holy Family is also famous for its very strong nursing programs. I thought it would be a perfect fit!”

Shortly after finishing her master’s degree, Dr. Mathew was offered the opportunity to become a full-time faculty member at Holy Family University, and in 2018 she became the program coordinator of the Second Degree BSN Fast Track program and taught primarily in the second-degree program at the Newtown campus. Holy Family University’s Accelerated Second Degree BSN nursing curriculum focuses on the development of management and leadership skills, culture-sensitive health care, individual and family assessment skills, and research in nursing practice. The program enrolls two Second Degree BSN Cohort – 14-Month Daytime Cohorts and two Second Degree BSN Cohort – 22-Month Evenings + Weekends Cohorts a year (spring and fall).

In 2019, Mathew was also a student herself in Holy Family’s DNP in Nursing Leadership program. A year after graduating, Dr. Mathew was promoted to Associate Dean and DNP Team Lead for the School of Nursing & Health Sciences in August 2021 and is now overseeing the DNP program that she graduated from.

Holy Family University’s DNP program offers four entry points, including options for nursing students entering a program with a BSN or MSN degree:

• The Online MSN–DNP Leadership track (35 credits; 1000 clinical hours) prepares nurses to assume leadership roles from the boardroom to point-of-care delivery positions. The track is designed to be completed in as few as 5 semesters with classes beginning each Spring and Fall semester.
• The Online MSN to DNP Leadership for the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) track (26 credits; 500 clinical hours plus 500 transfer clinical hours) takes your career to a new level of transformative leadership. The track is designed to be completed in 4 semesters part-time or 3 semesters full-time and is available each Spring and Fall semester.
• The MSN–DNP Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) track is designed for any MSN nurse who wants to become an FNP at the doctoral level. You will be eligible to sit for national certification as an FNP. The program is designed to be completed in as few as 2.5 calendar years (14, 8-week sessions) with cohorts starting each semester. The courses are delivered in an 8-week blended format (meeting once a week or less).
• The BSN–DNP Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) track starts each Fall semester This program is designed for the BSN nurse who wants to become an FNP at the doctoral level. At program completion, approximately 4 years, you will be prepared and eligible to sit for national certification as an FNP.

Naturally, Dr. Mathew is a strong advocate for the University’s DNP program that she previously completed. “Our different DNP tracks are very structured and organized, with faculty working one-on-one with students as they go through their DNP scholarly projects,” notes Mathew. “When I went through the program here, I received all the support I needed to succeed.”

That focus on student success that Dr. Mathew experienced in the DNP program as a student and in the second-degree program as a faculty has carried over to her leadership of the programs. “We want student success, but we want success in the right way because we are preparing students to take care of patients and families,” explains Mathew. “We have to prepare them so that when they graduate they can then serve the public and community in the right way. In all my different experiences as a faculty member, a student, a coordinator, and being part of different committees have helped me grow tremendously both professionally and personally. Now as an associate dean and part of a leadership team, I can understand everything from a grassroots level to the administration level and apply to achieve best possible outcomes.”      

Though Dr. Mathew has finished her DNP degree, she understands that her education is far from over. “I believe that every day is a new opportunity to learn,” says Mathew. “Holy Family’s motto is teneor votis – ‘I am bound by my responsibilities.’ As faculty, we are the facilitators of our students' learning and provide them with tools and resources. We help them to utilize these tools to become successful not only in school but also successful in their careers.”

Due to a limited number of spaces each semester, admission to Holy Family University’s DNP program is highly competitive. For more information (including admission requirements), please visit the program website or contact the Graduate and Professional Studies Office at 267-341-3327 or e-mail gradstudy@holyfamily.edu.