Who is the doctor of nursing practice right for?
MSN-prepared RNs and APRNs would pursue a conventional post-master’s DNP program to:
- Further their clinical expertise in their current APRN role and patient population focus
- Add certification in an additional patient population focus
- Pursue a track with an aggregate/systems/organizational focus (administration, executive leadership, informatics, health policy, public health, nurse education) for careers outside of direct patinet care
BSN-prepared RNs would enroll in a post-bachelor’s BSN-to-DNP program to:
- Achieve initial national certification and state licensure in an APRN role (nurse practitioner, nurse midewife, nurse anesthetist, clinical nurse specialist) and patient population focus (family/individual, adult-gerontology, women’s health/gender specific, neonatology, pediatrics, pyschiatrick/mental health)
- Pursue a track with an aggregate/systems/organizational focus (administration, executive leadership, informatics, health policy, public health, nurse education) for careers outside of direct patinet care
The
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is the ultimate practice focused degree awarded to nurses who want to achieve the highest level of proficiency in the delivery of complex care over the lifespan of the patient, or for those seeking to positively influence healthcare in roles that don’t involve direct patient care, working as administrators, executive leaders, informaticists, health policy specialits, public health advocates, nurse educators and more.
Prior to the DNP, there was no way for nurse clinicians and others to expand their expertise in the practice environment to the doctoral level since PhDs were the domain of researchers and academicians. Today, the DNP establishes a higher level of credibility for nurses with aspirations of translating evidence-based care into practice, improving systems of care, and measuring outcomes of groups of patients and communities.
Nurses pursuing a DNP may choose to study a population focus within an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) role or turn their attention to any number of administrative or executive leadership roles, such as education, public policy, informatics, and public health.
Whatever the chosen focus of a DNP program, graduates are prepared to effect change in organizational and systems leadership and take on high-level roles in health systems, academia, and policy making.
