THE DNP-PREPARED NURSE'S ROLE

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Nursing Outlook

Volume 67, Issue 4, July–August 2019, Pages 354-364

The role of Doctor of Nursing Practice-prepared nurses in practice settings

Author links open overlay panelAnna Song Beeber PhD, RN, FAAN a b, Carrie Palmer DNP, RN, ANP-BC a, Julee Waldrop DNP, PNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN a, Mary R. Lynn PhD, RN a, Cheryl B. Jones PhD, RN, FAAN a Show moreAdd to MendeleyShare Cite https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2019.02.006 Get rights and content Full text access

Highlights

•The role of the Doctor of Nursing Practice-prepared nurse (DNP) outside of academic settings has not been clearly articulated or widely explored, and therefore the value DNP-prepared nurses bring to their practice settings is largely unknown.
•Employers identified DNP-prepared nurses as filling the following roles in their organizations: (1) “traditional” clinical role – as a nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife, or a clinical nurse specialist; (2) administrators – providing administrative oversight in roles such as managers, supervisors, or primary care practice administrator; and (3) executives – DNP-prepared nurses taking on high-level leadership roles in large health care organizations.
•Employers had difficulty differentiating nurses with DNP degrees from nurses with other advanced training, in part because of the “newness” of the DNP degree and the scarcity of positions specifically designed for nurses with DNP degrees. In cases where DNP-prepared nurses were employed in either administrative or quality-centered positions, employers appreciated the DNP-prepared nurses’ broader perspectives and policy backgrounds.
•Future research efforts aimed at gathering data quantifying the outcomes of DNP-prepared nurses’ direct care and leadership roles could provide additional information about the value of the DNP-prepared nurse in health care.

Abstract

Background

The role of the Doctor of Nursing Practice-prepared nurse (DNP) outside of academic settings has not been clearly articulated or widely explored, and therefore the value DNP-prepared nurses bring to their practice settings is largely unknown. This study: (1) surveyed existing DNP programs to identify the nonacademic settings in which their DNP graduates were employed and (2) conducted semistructured interviews with employers to identify the role and value of the DNP-prepared nurse in nonacademic settings.

Method

Data were collected from January 2016 to August 2016 in two parts: (1) an online survey of the DNP programs and (2) qualitative semistructured telephone interviews with employers. First, we conducted an online survey of program directors (or their equivalent) from 288 DNP programs across the United States to capture descriptive information about current DNP programs (e.g., location, modality, profit status), the types of nonacademic institutions that hire their graduates, percentage of graduates employed by each setting, and the contact information for these employers. Employers were identified either by DNP program directors through the online survey or by a convenience sampling method. Using semistructured telephone interviews, we asked questions to employers in different care settings about the role of the DNP in these settings and how the DNP compares to other nurse leaders and advanced practice nurses (APRN). Employers were asked to describe the role of the DNP-prepared nurse working in direct patient care roles such as APRNs or as leaders, administrators, and managers.

Findings

Descriptive thematic analyses were derived from the interviews, to identify the roles DNP-prepared nurses filled and how they compared to other nurse leaders and advanced practice nurses in these settings. A total of 130 DNP program directors responded to the online survey. Twenty-three employers participated in semistructured telephone interviews. The thematic analysis resulted in four main themes regarding the role of the DNP-prepared nurse in non-academic settings: “DNP-Prepared Nurse Positions and Roles,” “Perceived Impact of the DNP-Prepared Nurse on Staff, Patient, and Organizational Outcomes,” “Comparison of the DNP-Prepared Nurse to Other Nurses With Advanced Training,” and “Challenges Experienced by Nurses With DNP Degrees.

Discussion

The role of the DNP-prepared nurse in nonacademic settings is unclear. These DNP-prepared nurses typically function as APRNs in clinical care or as health care system leaders. While there is a low number of DNPs in clinical practice settings, the number is expected to grow as more graduate and enter practice. Thus, knowledge of the roles, value, and outcomes of the DNP-prepared nurse can guide practice setting leaders on how to best use DNP-prepared nurses in their setting.

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Keywords

Doctor of Nursing Practice DNP Advance practice nurse Nurse practitioner DNP role Nursing practice Recommended articles

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: The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial, or otherwise.