Introducing the Doctor of Nursing Practice
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Introducing the Doctor of Nursing Practice
Posted 04/07/2006
Donna Hathaway, PhD, RN, FAAN
By the year 2015, all new advanced practice nurses in the US will be educated at the doctoral level. That is the vision of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and a growing number of nursing schools throughout the country.
In a historic action taken October 2004, AACN member institutions voted to recognize the doctor of nursing practice degree (DNP) as the desired credential for future nurses prepared for specialty practice, including, but not limited to, nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse midwives.[1] This decision came in response to discussions with stakeholders inside and outside of nursing who called for a transformation in health professions education.
This move will put nursing on par with the other health professions that require a doctorate for the highest level of clinical practice. It also will convey the appropriate credential to advanced practice nurses who are currently graduating from masters degree programs with a credit load equivalent to doctoral preparation in many other fields. Nursing schools across the country are moving forward to establish DNP programs, and dozens of new practice doctorates are now under development.
Of course, this evolutionary change is not without controversy, and many questions have been raised about how this transition will actually occur. Many are concerned that enrollments in PhD programs that prepare nurse researchers will decline, while others worry that practice settings will not accommodate large numbers of doctorally prepared nurses. Early data show that these concerns are unfounded.
AACN has created 2 task forces to address these concerns, collect information from stakeholders, and chart a course to make this vision a reality. Those wishing to find out more information about the transition to the doctor of nursing practice are invited to visit AACN's Web site at www.aacn.nche.edu.
That's my opinion. I'm Donna Hathaway, Professor and Dean, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Nursing and Chair of the AACN Task Force.
Contacts should be directed to: jstanley@aacn.nche.edu
Readers are encouraged to respond to George Lundberg, MD, Editor of MedGenMed,for the editor's eye only or for possible publication via email: glundberg@medscape.net
References1. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Position Statement on the Practice Doctorate in Nursing. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges of Nursing; 2004.
Donna Hathaway, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor, Dean, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Nursing, Memphis, Tennessee; Chair, American Association of Colleges of Nursing Task Force on the Essentials of Nursing Education for the Doctor of Nursing Practice, Washington, DC.
Disclosure: Donna Hathaway, PhD, RN, FAAN, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Medscape General Medicine. 2006;8(2):7. ©2006 Medscape
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