Doctor of Nursing Practice
The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (December 2010) |
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a professional degree in nursing in the United States of America.
In the United States, the DNP is one of three doctorate degrees in nursing, the other two being the
DNP in North America
The curriculum for the United States DNP degree builds on work completed during previous master's-level courses. It provides education in evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and systems leadership, and is typically more clinically oriented than a PhD.[2] Although approximately 52% of nurse anesthetist programs will award the DNP, the remaining 48% may use the title doctor of nurse anesthesia practice (DNAP).[citation needed]
Rationale for the existence of the DNP
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), transitioning advance practice registered nursing programs from the graduate level to the doctoral level is a "...response to changes in health care delivery and emerging health care needs, additional knowledge or content areas have been identified by practicing nurses. In addition, the knowledge required to provide leadership in the discipline of nursing is so complex and rapidly changing that additional or doctoral level education is needed."[3] According to the AACN, "...benefits of practice-focused doctoral programs include:
- development of needed advanced competencies for increasingly complex clinical, faculty and leadership roles;
- enhanced knowledge to improve nursing practice and patient outcomes;
- enhanced leadership skills to strengthen practice and health care delivery;
- better match of program requirements and credits and time with the credential earned;
- provision of an advanced educational credential for those who require advanced practice knowledge but do not need or want a strong research focus (e.g. clinical faculty);
- enhanced ability to attract individuals to nursing from non-nursing backgrounds;
- increased supply of faculty for clinical instruction; and
- improved image of nursing."[3]
Transitioning toward the doctorate
In the United States, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) recommended that all entry-level
Comparison to other doctorates
The DNP, as a
When the DNP was proposed, critics described its development as "a major mistake for [the] profession of nursing as well as the discipline of nursing knowledge", due to it separating the missions of practice and research.[9]
The required clinical practice hours to be accepted on a DNP course range from zero to 1000 hours, compared to a minimum of one year of clinical experience for admission to a PhD.[8] There is a requirement that DNP students are expected to complete at least 1000 post-baccalaureate clinical hours.[10] These can include clinical hours undertaken as part of a prior degree, and DNP programs do not specifically require additional clinical hours beyond those at the master's level, but many programs do include clinical components.[8][11]
Title confusion in the clinical setting
Some critics have argued that there is scope for patients or service users to be confused about whether they are consulting a physician or a nurse if nurses use the title "doctor" in a clinical setting.[12][13] Lawsuits have also resulted from this confusion, where holders of the DNP have referred to themselves as the title "doctor" in clinical settings.[14][15] In some US states, there is a legal basis limiting nurses using the title of "doctor" in clinical practice.[16] However, in other US states, nurses are bringing their own legal arguments to facilitate their legal use of the title.[17]
See also
- Advanced practice nurses
- Diploma in Nursing
- Associate of Science in Nursing
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing
- Master of Science in Nursing
- Nurse education
- Nursing school
References
- PMID 26078101.
- ^ "American Association of Colleges of Nursing | DNP Fact Sheet". aacn.nche.edu. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
- ^ a b Report of the Task Force on the Clinical Doctorate
- ^ American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2004). AACN Position Statement on the Practice Doctorate in Nursing. Available at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/DNP/pdf/DNP.pdf Archived 28 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (2007). AANA Position on Doctoral Preparation of Nurse Anesthetists. Available at "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "DNP-PhD Comparison | Duke University School of Nursing". nursing.duke.edu. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "Comparing the PhD & DNP". School of Nursing. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ PMID 34781935.
- S2CID 10883573.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions: DNP Programs & CCNE Accreditation" (PDF). AACN. p. 3. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
- ^ "Course Descriptions | DNP". SC-UMT. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- PMID 36118817.
- PMID 19099003.
- ^ "NP Fined $20K for Advertising Herself as 'Doctor Sarah'". Medscape. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ JD, Ann W. Latner (6 June 2023). "DNP Sued for Referring to Herself as Doctor". Clinical Advisor. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ FNP, Julee Waldrop, DNP, PNP (13 March 2013). "State medical boards trying to limit who can be called "Doctor"". Clinical Advisor. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Nurse Practitioners Sue The State Of California Over Right To Use 'Doctor' In Titles | NurseJournal". nursejournal.org. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.