NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Sample Answer for NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice Included After Question
Week 1: Professional Opportunities for Doctorally Prepared Nurses
Welcome to the first week of Foundations and Essentials of Doctoral Study in Nursing. The work you complete in this course provides a strong foundation for graduate study at Walden University. Following successful completion of your program, you will be prepared to address the challenges and opportunities that doctorally prepared nurses are likely to encounter in the coming years.
Your journey begins with an exploration of the DNP and PhD degrees. This week, you examine the history and evolution of the DNP and PhD credentials, as well as the significance that your chosen degree holds for you, personally and professionally. You consider how the DNP and PhD degrees are distinguished from each other and from other graduate-level nursing degrees, and gain an appreciation for the unique value and relevance of each one.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Differentiate doctoral degrees (DNP, PhD)
Appraise the value of a doctoral degree for professional nurses
Learning Resources
Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Required Readings
Zaccagnini, M. & Pechacek, J. M. (2021). The doctor of nursing practice essentials: A new model for advanced practice nursing (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett.
[For DNP students ONLY]
“Imagining the DNP Role” (pp. xv–xxiii)
This reading introduces and defines the DNP degree, with a particular emphasis on the aim to provide high-level preparation for the advanced practice of nursing.
Houser, J. (2018). Nursing research: Reading, using, and creating evidence (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
[For PhD students ONLY]
Chapter 1, “The Importance of Research as Evidence in Nursing”
This chapter describes nursing research, its evolution, and its application in nursing practice.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2006). The essentials of doctoral education for advanced nursing practice. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.aacnnursing.org/DNP/DNP-Essentials
[For DNP students ONLY]
“Introduction” (pp. 3–7)
This section of an AACN document focuses on how the practice-oriented DNP degree complements and relates to the research-oriented PhD and other degrees.
Cleary, M., Hunt, G. E., & Jackson, D. (2011). Demystifying PhDs: A review of doctorate programs designed to fulfill the needs of the next generation of nursing professionals. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 39(2), 273-280.
Conn, V. S. (2014). Prepare to launch: Optimizing doctoral education to ensure career success. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 36(1), 3-5.
NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Conn, V. S., Zerwic, J., Rawl, S., Wyman, J. F., Larson, J. L., Anderson, C. M., …Markis, N. E. (2014). Strategies for a successful PhD program: Words of wisdom from the WJNR editorial board. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 36(1), 6-30.
Michael, M. J. & Clochesy, J. M. (2016). From scientific discovery to health outcomes: A synergistic model of doctoral nursing education. Nurse Education Today, 40, 84-86.
This article speaks to the importance of nurse scientists and practitioners working together to accelerate the transformation of evidence into practice.
Sperhac, A. M., & Clinton, P. (2008). Doctorate of nursing practice: Blueprint for excellence. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 22(3), 146-151.
[For DNP students ONLY]
This article provides background on the development of the DNP degree, illustrates its necessary competencies, and evaluates the value of a DNP degree as well as challenges to its validity.
Required Media
Laureate Education (Producer). (2012g). Welcome to Walden [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 2 minutes.
In this media program, the president of Walden University welcomes you to the Walden learning community and shares examples of how Walden students are making a difference in their communities. She also describes how Walden’s Welcome Center supports you as a new student and makes it easier for you to connect with Walden when you have a question or need information.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2011b). Introduction: The doctor of nursing practice [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 15 minutes.
In this media presentation, Dr. Joan Stanley discusses how the DNP degree evolved. In addition, Dr. Linda Beechinor and Dr. Susan Stefan share their experiences completing the DNP degree and explain how it has influenced their nursing careers.
Discussion: The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
In response to the continuous changes in health care today, nurses are charged with staying well informed on many rapidly evolving aspects of patient care. They are also expected to contribute to the improvement of health care quality. Engaging in doctoral education is an admirable way to position oneself for accomplishing this goal, and it can lead to new professional opportunities.
Why did you decide to enroll in graduate school? What informed your decision to pursue your chosen degree? How will earning this degree influence your career?
This week, you consider the characteristics of various programs, including the DNP and the PhD. The focus of the DNP degree is on clinical practice, whereas the focus of the PhD is on research. In conjunction with other professional colleagues, DNP- and PhD-prepared nurses often collaborate to analyze critical issues and find appropriate ways to address them.
This first Discussion provides an opportunity for you to examine what it means to earn a doctorate and how your selected degree program relates to your professional goals.
To prepare:
Consider the reasons you have chosen to pursue an advanced degree. How do you anticipate that earning this degree will support your professional goals?
Reflect on the comments shared by the experts in this week’s media regarding the value of a DNP degree and the various roles available to DNP-prepared nurses, as well as the characteristics of the PhD program and opportunities for PhD-prepared nurses.
Based on the information presented this week, have you developed any new ideas or goals for your future? If so, what are they?
By Day 3
Post a cohesive response that addresses the following:
What does it mean to be a nurse with a practice or research doctorate? What are the expectations associated with this degree? How might this be different for a nurse who holds a different degree?
How do these considerations relate to your motivation to pursue a doctoral degree right now?
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues in one or more of the following ways:
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.
Note: There is no Assignment this week.
Submission and Grading Information
Grading Criteria
To access your rubric:
Week 1 Discussion Rubric
Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 6
To participate in this Discussion:
Week 1 Discussion
Week in Review
This week, you differentiated differences in doctoral degrees, specifically DNP and PhD and appraised the value of each for professional nurses.
Next week, you will consider what it takes to become a successful online doctoral student while fulfilling a myriad of personal and professional responsibilities.
To go to the next week:
Week 2
posted 1 year ago (last edited 10 months ago)
Margaret Harvey Walden Instructor Manager
RE: Discussion – Week 1
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A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Title: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
I normally do not start off a discussion, but because this is the first week, I decided to do so this time.
I do think that both DNP and PhD educated nurses are “leaders” in their own right, but that the DNP leader is much more focused on clinical issues and outcomes, compared to the PhD leader who primarily focuses on research and adding to the body of literature that guides our profession. What I find most admirable is the mutual respect that is shown to the two doctorates (DNP and PhD) professionally. There is a recognition that working together, we are making a real difference to the nursing profession, and ultimately to healthcare in a more global way.
When I obtained my PhD, the DNP was just starting to gain recognition and many colleges and universities balked at calling it a terminal degree or allowing the graduates to teach at that level. Things have really changed now, as colleges and universities now realize that DNP graduates are wonderful clinical instructors and many also teach theory courses. The PhD has always been respected and, because it is a research based degree, schools that tend to put a lot of emphasis on having their faculty publish, do research, and gain national recognition for innovative educational techniques, etc., prefer to hire them.
Both degrees are now highly respected and the cross-over in what they do is sometimes difficult to distinguish. I do not think any student can go wrong choosing either degree. It is really personal preference and the decision one makes in deciding what they want to do once they graduate from a doctoral program.
I believe the expectations you have for this reward certainly demonstrate that you have chosen the correct degree!
A Sample Answer 2 For the Assignment: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Title: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Every doctoral degree comes with certain responsibilities. When people see the title of doctor, inherently trust and respect result. Starting on the journey to a doctoral degree comes with a lot of responsibility to the profession, patients, community and self. The long and winding road will likely have bumps. Nursing has evolved and now provides two different avenues to meet the continually growing need for doctoral prepared nurses. While nurses who have a love for lifelong learning look to their future it is important to understand how an individuals goals align with each doctoral degree. Phd and DNP have different goals related to the future of nursing.
A PhD in nursing has a focus on research and teaching which means there is also a focus on ensuring funding via grants for the institution (Cleary & Hunt, 2011). Research requires a great deal of time and energy which translates to a long time before the information generation translates into practice changes. Nurses who pursue this avenue are often working to leave their mark on the world and this can take many years to accomplish. Due to the extensive time, effort, and costs associated with a PhD, completion is also an obstacle (Cleary & Hunt, 2011). It is not for the faint of heart as the research process requires an immense amount of work. As a result of this long lead time, the new doctorate in nursing was born (Sperhac & Clinton, 2008).
The DNP was born out of a need to impact practice and patient care swiftly. Patients need to have better care today and nurses are expected to deliver this care. Nursing has a focus on evidence and data thus this lends itself to a focus on the practice side of nursing (Sperhac & Clinton, 2008). Integration of data and evidence-based practice provide credibility to the nurse thus leading to better outcomes for patients. The DNP also allows the exploration of more clinical based issues to be identified and explored more quickly as the DNP has access to needs as they are identified in the clinical setting. Innovation is expected of the DNP as they apply the research of the PhD. DNP prepared nurses can also engage in research and apply the outcomes readily. Recent changes in the global climate have accelerated the need to apply information rapidly. The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched many practitioners to the breaking point and has also opened the doors to new areas of research and application (The Impact of COVID-19 on the Nursing Profession in the U.S. | AONL, n.d.).
Nursing is more than a profession to most who are successful. As I look at my career progression over the last twelve months, I would never have imagined the changes I would encounter or those our world would encounter. I am fortunate that nursing is my chosen passion as it is agile and able to meet the constant changes to which we have grown accustomed. The year 2020 was labeled the year of the nurse and to me this means the year of transformation. As a result of this transformation, I personally examined my goals in a new way. Given the chance to gain insight my lifelong goal of being the best nurse I can, has driven me to pursue my terminal degree in nursing. As an operating room nurse who turned to an informatics nurse the Doctor of Nursing practice is the degree for me as my journey in nursing is anything but standard. If not now, when. I am here to seize the day.
References:
Cleary, M., & Hunt, G. E. (2011). Demystifying PhDs: A review of doctorate programs designed to fulfil the needs of the next generation of nursing professionals. Contemporary Nurse : A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 39(2), 273–280.
Sperhac, A. M., & Clinton, P. (2008). Doctorate of Nursing Practice: Blueprint for Excellence. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 22(3), 146–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2007.12.015
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Nursing Profession in the U.S. | AONL. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.aonl.org/resources/impact-of-covid19-on-nurses
A Sample Answer 3 For the Assignment: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Title: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Thank you for an interesting post! I really enjoyed reading it.
Like all things related to process improvement, the pursuit of a doctoral degree in nursing is noted as the terminal level of the nursing education process. Obtaining a doctoral degree provides nurses with the knowledge and tools to practice at the highest and most respected roles in the profession.
Considering the practice doctorate level degree is not a new concept, it is however an evolving degree over the last 20 years since the first practice focused doctoral programs launched. Both the DNP and the PhD degrees assume leadership roles to impact change. The focus is distinctly different as the DNP (practice focus) and the PhD (research focused), however they share the same educational level of distinction which both compliment and enhance nursing practice. Other nursing degrees, the Bachelor and Master prepared nurses are entry level nursing staff or mid-level managers who deliver and/or manage the delivery of patient care. Doctorate level prepared nurses are respected as the most advanced nursing leaders, and have the ultimate responsibility for the continuum of advanced nursing practice.
Dr. Linda Beechinor also states in the video, “In order to make changes, empower yourself, and sit at the table where decisions are made, you need the education, background, and the credibility of the doctoral degree.” (Laureate Education, 2011).
How do you feel your professional life may change once you complete your doctoral degree? Have you given it any thought?
Dr. Harvey
Reference:
Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Introduction: The doctor of nursing practice [Video file]. Available from https://class.waldenu.edu
A Sample Answer 4 For the Assignment: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Title: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Thank you for your insight. Considering the last year, I can say only what I hope my doctorate will allow me to do and know this could change. My goal as a nurse has always been to provide the best care possible for those I serve. By attaining my DNP, I am looking to join academia and formally train the nurses of the future. My dream has always been to teach and a terminal degree with help me attain this goal. Informally I have enjoyed mentoring the nurses of the future as I have interacted with them as students via their clinicals and I look forward to playing a more active role.
Professionally I look forward to the unexpected opportunities my DNP is likely to offer. With my varied background I am excited at the adventures I may find as a result of my previous jobs as I have been an operating room nurse, a hospital educator, office nurse, data abstractor, data analysist, informatics nurse, manager, and a nursing home nurse. Recently I was thinking about how my perspective of my abilities has changed from my first job to my current job. In the operating room I had one patient at a time and I always said that was all I could handle. Yesterday I was the nurse for twenty-nine patients (residents) at a time. Never in my wildest dreams did I predict that, and I am excited as I expect my DNP will offer similar unforeseen opportunities.
A Sample Answer 5 For the Assignment: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Title: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Thank you so much for sharing this with us. The joy of your practice certainly shines through.
Nurses who hold either of these degrees are expected to understand their roles as DNP or PhD prepared nurses. They should be able to articulate with a vast variety of interdisciplinary team members, the public, and those who make policies. These nurses should be able to be effective leaders and work better as share decision makers. This degree requires one to look at the entire nursing practice as a whole and research ways to improve it for the nurses as well as the patients and all other entities who have an invested interest, while using evidenced-based practice. This degree will afford a nurse the opportunity to aid in positive change, reinforce things that will help with financial matters and policies. Furthering your education, whatever the avenue you choose, will only help to strengthen your critical-thinking skills and ability to solve problems more effectively.
I want to first say that I appreciate your in-depth review of both the Ph.D and DNP roles. I honestly feel as though my learning was solidified with your explanations. There are two things that stuck with me as I read your discussion post—goal alignment and how COVID-19 has impacted nursing.
To begin, I think it is critical for nurses to reflect on their position and consider how they want to impact nursing in the future. Often times, I hear nurses state that they want to pursue an advanced degree, but they waiver back and forth with either being a nurse practitioner or Ph.D. When I ask what exactly they want to do, they say that they just want an advanced degree to be more marketable and “keep up with the times”. I warn that this is dangerous because both roles are critical to the nursing practice and require a different skillset—advanced degrees are not to be entered into lightly. I believe the importance of these degrees and their contribution to nursing practice should be communicated at the BSN and MSN levels to help appropriately inform future nurse leaders about their impact on the profession. From my personal experience, I think that most nurses just want to attain the “glamour” of the degree to add the credentials, but they do not have a passion for research or practice improvement. Therefore, I agree that nurses need to identify and align their goals.
COVID-19 has significantly impacted the entire healthcare delivery system. While it has wreaked havoc on life as we know it and nursing care, it has also ignited my interest in evidence-based practice. I fully enjoy looking at data, creating a plan, implementing the plan, and waiting for the results. With that being said, as a labor and delivery nurse at the start of the pandemic, it was evident that care for COVID + labor patients would look different from the norm. Over the course of the year, we realized that pregnant COVID patients would present with pre-eclampsia symptoms, which posed a major problem for our unit—we were faced with asking this question, “how do we know who needs magnesium sulfate and who does not”? Did COVID pre-eclampsia symptoms take the same toll on the body as true pre-eclampsia? This was major shift in critical thinking and nursing practice. I absolutely fell in love with this, and I joined a task-force committee at work to help address the new concerns as we arise. It was exciting to engage in the research process and help create practice change on our unit. So, it is safe to say, I am ready for the DNP ride (insert major smile). The AACN (2006) identified the eight essentials of the DNP that are foundational competencies that are core to all advanced nursing practice roles. I am sure that I will develop the foundational essentials, but I most closely relate to Clinical Scholarship and Analytical Methods for Evidence Based Practice.
Reference
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2006). The essentials of doctoral education for advanced nursing practice. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.aacnnursing.org/DNP/DNP-Essentials
A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Title: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Excellent analysis of your post. You are right that the doctoral degree comes with some form of accountabilities and responsibilities. Starting this scary journey as nurses, we are going to face challenges with our patients, jobs, society, and even ourselves. Being either a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student, are been taught to use existing evidence-based that promote positive change in healthcare settings (Zaccagnini & Pechacek, p. 5, 2021). The DNP programs around the US are building programs that have the capabilities to increase professional knowledge to forthcoming leaders, appropriate quality of clinical content, and policy. Also, applying ethical and legal rules help improve data management and technology to enhance healthcare (Jenkins, 2018).
References
Jenkins, M. L. (2018). Informatics Essentials for DNPs. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 250, 55–57. https://web-a-ebscohost-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=07653a7c-4a39-4c6d-89dc-89f7c9598d84%40sessionmgr4007
Zaccagnini, M. & Pechacek, J. M. (2021). The doctor of nursing practice essentials: A new model for advanced practice nursing (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett.
A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Title: NURS 8000 The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Thank you for your post and the comprehensive insight that you provide in the discussion. I enjoyed reading it and I agree with that indeed each doctoral degree comes with particular responsibilities for the nursing student as a professional. The title attained through the qualification shows credibility and demonstrate a resolve to future lifelong learning. As posited nurses should align their individual goals with the two different doctoral degrees in nursing; a PhD and DNP.
Research is a fundamental part of quality nursing practice and findings from such studies offer opportunities for nurses to implement evidence-based practice interventions in their practice (Young et al., 12019). Therefore, through a PhD qualification, nurses can enhance their use of EBP findings to enhance quality care delivery and optimal patient outcomes (McCauley et al., 2020). Taking a PhD implies that one’s goal is research and helping nurse practitioners find the most appropriate approaches to care. On its art, a DNP focuses on ensuring that nurses improve practice quality and patient care. At the core of a DNP qualification is to acquire skills and competences that will enable nurse to ascend to managerial and leadership positions so that they can direct care patient care. Through a DNP qualification, nurses can assume more roles in care provision, especially due to the current reforms in the healthcare sector that have led to increased demand for services (Michael & Clochesy, 2017). The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) means that nurse leaders must develop appropriate interventions to help nurses deliver care while minimizing issues like burnouts and shortage that leads to increased turnover and poor services provision. Therefore, as observed in your post, nurses pursuing these terminal degrees must ensure that they align with their lifelong practice and learning goals.
References
McCauley, L. A., Broome, M. E., Frazier, L., Hayes, R., Kurth, A., Musil, C. M., … & Villarruel,
M. (2020). Doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree in the United States: Reflecting, readjusting, and getting back on track. Nursing outlook, 68(4), 494-503. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2020.03.008
Michael, S.J., & Clochesy, J.M. (2017). From scientific discovery to health outcomes: A
synergistic model of doctoral nursing education. Nurse Education Today, 40. 84-86. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2016.02.011.
Young, D., Colvin, N., Seibenhener, S., & Johnson, A. (2019). The nursing doctorate: one size
does not fit all. Creative nursing, 25(4), 334-337. doi: 10.1891/1078-4535.25.4.334.
What does it mean to be a nurse with a practice or research doctorate?
The PhD and DNP represent the complementary and alternative approaches to the highest level of educational preparation in nursing (Michael and Clochesy, 2016). In practice for me, this allows for an increase in knowledge dissemination, more responsibility and leverage when it comes to collaborative approaches, decision making, bringing research to practice, innovativeness, and bridging knowledge gaps in practice.
What are the expectations associated with this degree?
The expectations associated with the DNP and PHD, are standards set out by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, The institute of Medicine and National Research Council of the National Academies. The DNP 8 essentials delineated address the foundational competencies that are core to all advanced nursing practice roles:
(AACN,2006)
Scientific Underpinnings for Practice
Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Improvement and Systems Thinking
Clinical Scholarship and Analytical Methods for Evidence Based Practice
Information Systems Technology and Patient Care Technology for the Improvement and Transformational of Health Care
Health Care Policy for Advocacy in Health Care
Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes
Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving the Nation’s Health
Advanced Nursing Practice
How might this be different for a nurse who holds a different degree?
Different entry points may exist however curricula must be individualized for candidates based on their prior education and experience (AACN, 2006). Nurses that hold a different degree may not be as prepared and or have a hard time conceptualizing the programs essentials to nursing practice. Many students entering DNP programs will have a masters degree that has been built on AACN’s masters essential, that which attain many of the competencies defined in the DNP essentials (AACN, 2006).
How do these considerations relate to your motivation to pursue a doctoral degree right now?
In completing a masters level program, it allowed me to thinking from a leadership perspective as well as the opportunity to cover some of the DNP essentials; the credibility that the DNP offers, allows for greater recognition and a competitive edge when bringing ideas to practice. Walden university DNP programs offers
(Laureate Education, 2012)
Creditability in decision making
Apply research to promote evidence-based practice
Advocate for patients though policy and reform efforts
Use technology to improve the quality and safety of patient care
Manage organizational change effectively
Perform at the highest level of clinical practice
Empowerment and being a part of decision making
Managing Change
Reference
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2006). The essentials of doctoral education for advanced nursing practice. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.aacnnursing.org/DNP/DNP-Essentials
Michael, M.J. & Clochesy, J. M. (2016). From scientific discovery to health outcomes: A synergistic model of doctoral nursing education. Nurse Education Today, 40. 84-86.
Laureate Education (Producer. (2011). Introduction: The doctor of nursing practice video retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
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posted 1 year ago (last edited 10 months ago)
Margaret Harvey Walden Instructor Manager
RE: Discussion – Week 1
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Shonda,
You sound like you made a good choice in pursing your DNP. I appreciate how detailed your post.
The complexity of health care environment demands nurses that are highly skilled to provide safe and optimal patient care. To this effect, doctoral programs have emerged consisting of curriculum that aligns to American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) essentials for doctoral degree in nursing. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), also known as practice doctorate or clinical doctorate continuously apply skills and knowledge while providing direct patient care. A nurse with a practice doctorate delivers practice-based training, utilizing clinical applications of advanced level nursing knowledge. A nurse with a practice doctorate is prepared to apply the outcome of a clinical research to a clinical practice (Sperhac & Clinton, 2008).
Expectations associated with earning a practice doctorate is the ability to take on challenging roles in advocacy and problem solving. Core competencies expected of a nurse with a practice doctorate include the use of evidence-based practice, forming an alliance with members of the interdisciplinary group, and the incorporation of informatics to manage and analyze healthcare data of patients (Sperhac & Clinton, 2008).
Nurse with a DNP degree is expected to provide leadership, and test care delivery models to improve practice environment. He/she is expected to translate research into practice while evaluating and analyzing practice data. Advanced knowledge and competencies to improve nursing practice and patient outcomes, as well as leadership skills to strengthen practice and delivery of health care are expected of a nurse with a practice doctorate (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2006).
However, expectations might be different for a nurse who holds a different degree such as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in nursing or Doctor of Nursing Science (D.N.Sc). For example, while the DNP emphasizes on achieving high
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