Important

Return to table of contents• Health care policy for advocacy in health care—political activism and a commitment to policy development.These components are central elements ofprofessional nursing practice. The DNP graduate willhave the ability to assume a broad leadership role onbehalf of the public as well as the nursing profession.• Inter-professional collaboration for improvingpatient and population health outcomes—theadvanced preparation in the inter-professional dimensionsof health care, enabling DNPs to establish interprofessionalteams, participate in the work of the teamand assume leadership of the team when appropriate.• Clinical prevention and population health forimproving the nation’s health—the integration andinstitutionalization of evidence-based clinical preventionand population health services for individuals,aggregates and populations. This involves the analysisof epidemiological, biostatistical, occupational andenvironmental data in the development, implementationand evaluation of programs to improve populationhealth.• Advanced nursing practice—the DNP is expectedto demonstrate refined assessment skills and applyprinciples of biophysical, psychosocial, behavioral,sociopolitical, cultural, economic and nursingsciences to practice as appropriate in their area ofspecialization. 164AACN’s DNP Essentials specialty-focused competenciesThe AACN’s DNP Essentials document envisions one oftwo roles for DNP graduates and, accordingly, suggeststwo different practice concentrations for the specialtycomponent of the DNP curriculum:• Advanced practice nursing focus—the graduatewill assess, manage and evaluate patients at the mostindependent level of clinical nursing practice. Thespecialty curriculum dictates that a separate course berequired in each of the following three content areas:Advanced health/physical assessmentAdvanced physiology/pathophysiologyAdvanced pharmacology (this content should alsobe integrated into the content of the above twocourses) 165• Aggregate/systems/organizational focus—the graduategenerally will not have patient care responsibilities,but will work within administrative, health policy,informatics and population-based roles to defineactual and emerging health care problems and designaggregate-level health interventions. 166Finally, it is significant to note that the AACN’s DNPEssentials document does not suggest how DNP programsshould allocate credit hours between the foundationaland specialty-based competencies. As a result, itwould be premature at this time to assert that specialtyarea content and corresponding clinical practice experienceswill measurably supplement current master’sdegree NP training.164. Id. All eight Essentials competencies.165. Id.166. Id.Scope of Practice Data Series: Nurse practitioners • V. Education and training of NPs34