A DNP degree is a terminal degree designed to prepare nursing professionals with the skills to implement evidence-based interventions and improve health outcomes in the general population. The DNP program focuses on developing strategies that improve patient outcomes and health. The degree also prepares graduates to work in the following roles:

• Education – A DNP prepares graduates for teaching roles in academic settings. Additional skills are needed, including preparation in teaching methodologies, curriculum design and development, and program evaluation, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).
• Health Care Policy Development – DNP programs provide content for graduates to focus on local, state, and federal policies and how they impact health care policy and advocacy.
• Leadership Roles – DNP graduates are prepared to serve as nursing managers and lawmakers to advance the quality of professional nursing. Graduates can lead changes that provide better access to quality health care services.

A DNP serves as an endorsed distinction, attesting to a nurse professional having reached the apex of nursing education. In 2004, the members of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) validated the DNP degree as the preferred level of preparation for specialty nursing practice. Other groups, such as the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), share this endorsement. The nursing field is working to change the future of the DNP degree into a requirement for people seeking advanced practice nursing roles. For instance, NONPF is engaged in ongoing efforts to make the DNP degree the benchmark by 2025. However, individuals who obtain a DNP prior to this benchmark shift — whenever it may come — will still have the unique opportunity to stand out in a competitive field.