McKeesport Hospital Foundation holds 33rd annual Invitational ...

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8| Issue No. 5wpahospitalnews.com
Issue No. 5 | 9wpahospitalnews.comThe Value of the Doctor ofNursing PracticeBy Nicole K. OlshanskiThe Doctor of Nursing Practice degree providesadvanced practice nurses the opportunity to practiceat the highest level of care with a doctoral degree.The DNP provides the advanced practice nurse withthe knowledge to develop a capstone project to promotechange in nursing. Doctor of Nursing Practicestudents have the opportunity to pursue Doctor ofNursing Practice programs concentrating in NursePractitioner programs, Nurse Anesthesia programs,Leadership and Education programs. There areapproximately 100 Schools of Nursing offering theDoctor of Nursing Practice degree and more than 100Schools of Nursing are considering offering the Doctorof Nursing Practice degree. (AACN, 2009).The Doctor of Nursing Practice Leadership andEducation programs provides nursing administratorsand educators amplified learning opportunities andpracticum experiences focused on the AmericanAssociation of Colleges of Nursing’s Essentials ofDoctoral Education for Nursing Practice. The DNPstudents complete practicum hours with chief nursingofficers, directors of nursing programs, and withother leaders. The practicum hours increase theexpertise of the student in leadership roles.The Doctor of Nursing Practice programs teachstudents how to relate research into Evidenced BasedPractice. There is no evidence that the emergence ofthe Doctor of Nursing Practice programs willdecrease the number of PhD nursing students. Nurseswith a PhD and a DNP will complement each otherin the work force as they move the research into theclinical setting together. The student in the DNP programlearns how to develop a capstone project andpublish the results of the project in nursing journals.The DNP program teaches the value of strongleadership skills as the chief nursing officer, thedirector of a department and as the faculty member.A strong leader portrays a professional image andworks towards common goals, while keeping the corevalues and mission in focus. Without a strong leader,the team will not be successful. These values aretaught through the essentials of Doctoral Educationfor Nursing Practice. The essentials are:1. Scientific Underpinnings for Practice2. Organizational and Systems Leadership forQuality Improvement and Systems Thinking3. Clinical Scholarship and Analytical Methods forEvidenced Based Practice4. Information Systems/Technology and PatientCare Technology for the Improvement and Transformationof Health Care5. Health Care Policy for Advocacy in Health Care6. Interprofessional Communication for ImprovingPatient and Population Health Outcomes7. Clinical Prevention and Population Health forImproving the Nation’s Health8. Advancing Nursing Practice(AACN, 2006).The credential of a Doctor of Nursing Practice willprovide faculty the opportunity to work at levels ofhigher education. It will also open the doors to positionsas the director, the vice president, or the dean.Teaching positions are available to the DNP graduatewith the opportunity for promotion. There are a fewinstitutions that do not recognize the Doctor of NursingPractice for tenure track positions.The courses for the DNP program are designed forworking students. Some programs offer the options ofmeeting one weekend a month with online discussionswhile other programs meet once a week oncampus. There are also programs that are completelyonline. The credit load for programs varies from 31credits to 57 credits. Students interested in the DNPprogram should look to see if their program is credentialedby the CCNE.Nicole Olshanski MSN, DNPc, RN is an instructor ofnursing at the University of Pittsburgh. She is completingher DNP at Waynesburg University.Sources:The Essentials for Doctoral Education forAdvanced Practice Nursing. American Associationof Colleges of Nurses, October 2006.
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