DNP Program
The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree will soon be the required degree for clinically practicing APRNs, CNMs, and nursing leaders in health care organizations. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has mandated that the current level of preparation necessary for advanced nursing practice be moved from the master's degree to the doctorate level by the year 2015.The Institute of Medicine's 2002 report on Health Professions Education recommended strategies for restructuring all clinical education in the health professions to be consistent with the principles of 21st century health systems. These recommendations stressed that health science students and all working professionals develop and maintain proficiency in 5 core areas: delivering patient-centered care, working as part of interdisciplinary teams, practicing evidence-based medicine, focusing on quality improvement, and using information technolog
The Move to Practice Doctorates
Nursing is moving in the direction of other health professions in the transition to the DNP. Medicine (MD), Dentistry (DDS), Pharmacy (PharmD), Psychology (PsyD), Physical Therapy (DPT) and Audiology (AudD) all offer practice doctorates. Transitioning to the DNP will not alter the current scope of practice for APRNs and CNMs which is outlined in the Utah State Nurse Practice Act. The Division of Professional Licensing is aware of the trend in graduate nursing education and a seamless transition is anticipated on the regulatory level.
Why a DNP versus a MS?
Over recent years, the increasing complexity of health care, the growth in scientific knowledge, and the use of increasingly sophisticated technology have required that master's degree programs preparing nurses for advanced practice roles to expand the number of didactic and clinical clock hours far beyond the requirements of master's education in virtually any other field. Many nurse-practitioner master's programs around the country now exceed 60 credits and cannot be completed in less than three years; they often carry a credit load equivalent to doctoral degrees in the other health professions. College faculty have been forced to add content and clinical time to the program, increasing the intensity of the academic experience for students. Additional specific content areas have been identified as needed by advanced practice nurses, particularly new scientific information, genetics, informatics, and practice management. Furthermore, advanced practice nurses themselves identify content areas they feel additional training is needed, including practice management, health policy, use of information technology, risk management, evaluation of evidence, and advanced diagnosis and management.
PhD or DNP?
Doctoral programs in nursing fall into two principal types: research-focused and practice focused. Most research-focused programs grant the Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD), while a small percentage offers the Doctor of Nursing Science degree (DNS, DSN, or DNSc). Designed to prepare nurse scientists and scholars, these programs focus heavily on scientific content and research methodology; and all require an original research project and the completion and defense of a dissertation or linked research papers. Practice-focused doctoral programs are designed to prepare experts in specialized advanced nursing practice. They focus heavily on practice that is innovative and evidence-based, reflecting the application of credible research findings. The two types of doctoral programs differ in their goals and the competencies of their graduates. They represent complementary and alternative approaches to the highest level of educational preparation in nursing.
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