Discussion Board Week 14: Professional Issues for the DNP (CSLO 1, 2)
Bullets to address in paper:
- What do you find to be the most difficult to overcome professional issues surrounding the DNP?
- Do you have people asking you why you didn’t go to medical school?
- Do you see people rejecting the whole idea of the DNP?
- Is there any distinction in practice with a DNP?
| Discussion Board Initial Posting Rubric | |||||
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Relevance to the topic or problem |
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20 pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Insight and application of course concepts |
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40 pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Use of evidence and support |
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25 pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Grammar, Punctuation & APA |
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15 pts | |||
Professional Issues for the DNP
DNP graduates often possess skills and expertise that they can apply to assume roles that cannot be effectively performed by BNS graduates. Even with this expertise and knowledge, DNP nurses still face numerous challenges related to how they can contribute to improving healthcare delivery in the contemporary healthcare industry (Chism, 2019). Additionally, some new DNP graduates may lack the confidence to use their newly-acquired title of ‘doctor’ when it is apparent that they are medical doctors. The purpose of this discussion is to discuss the professional issues surrounding the DNP that I find to be the most difficult to overcome. I will further discuss the questions that are commonly received from the public regarding the DNP title.
I have found it difficult to overcome a number of professional issues surrounding the DNP program. One of these issues concerns transitioning from the professional roles of a BSN nurse to those of a Doctorally-prepared nurse. Chism (2019) acknowledges that the roles of a BSN nurse differ from that of a Doctorally-prepared nurse. He further asserts that transitioning to the DNP role from the BSN role normally poses great challenges for nurses. The other challenge that I have found to be the most challenging to overcome concerns practice barriers imposed on advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). My state has not fully implemented the Consensus Model and even Doctorally-prepared nurses are still required to practice in collaboration with a qualified physician. While physician supervision seemed normal with the BSN degree, it is quite strange to maintain that tight supervision even when completing the DNP program. The other challenge concerns economic and time factors. The completion of DNP projects requires commitment which is at times difficult to achieve due to job-related factors. Additionally, the huge financial costs associated with the program impose an economic burden considering the low pay earned as a BSN nurse (Chism, 2019). However, working closely with family, friends, colleagues, instructors, and supervisors have enabled me to overcome the challenges.
Many people have been asking why I did not go to a medical school. Some of them believe that acquiring the ‘doctor’ title while still practicing as a nurse does not really make sense. Others think that doctorally-prepared nurses can perform similar clinical roles to those executed by medical doctors (Chism, 2019). In order to counter such questions, DNP graduates need to understand who they are and the spaces that occupy in the nursing profession as a whole. They should be prepared to lead and teach with confidence and not express fear when speaking publicly about their roles (Chism, 2019). The most important thing is for a doctorally-prepared nurse to know who he or she is.
Some people are rejecting the whole idea of DNP while others are accepting it. Many people do not understand what it means to be a DNP graduate. Therefore, educating the public about the role can be a good marketing strategy to be used by DNP graduates (Rivaz et al., 2021). Nurses must be able to clearly define their vision and mission when educating others about the role.
To conclude, there is a distinction in practice with a DNP. DNP graduates mainly participate in research, nursing education, and leadership (Grossman & Valiga, 2021; Chism, 2019). Understanding this distinction can help people to differentiate between the roles of a BSN nurse and DNP graduate.
References
Chism, L. A. (2019). The doctor of nursing practice: A guidebook for role development and professional issues. Burlington: Jones and Bartlett Learning. Chapters 9 & 11.
Grossman, S., & Valiga, T. (2021). The new leadership challenge: creating the future of nursing, 6th edition. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis. Chapters 9-12, 14 & 16.
Rivaz, M., Shokrollahi, P., Setoodegan, E., & Sharif, F. (2021). Exploring the necessity of establishing a doctor of nursing practice program from experts’ views: a qualitative study. BMC Medical Education, 21(1), 328. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02758-w