Draft CCNE Essentials document

[Carol Metoyer]

I am working with my university on creating a DNP pathway. I am curious if anyone has a list of DNP specialties? We are looking into a public health/diverse community health focus.

[Susan]

Hi Carol,
I love the idea of a pathway in public health however I’m curious as to how that would look and work. Since public health isn’t one of the recognized populations under the Consensus Model (unfortunately) it would seem to be somewhat of a limitation. APRNs would not be able to practice in that population but there might be non-APRNs who would like to develop more knowledge in this specialty.

[Xochitl Torres]

Hello Carol, I like your project. I hope you have seen progress in creating a DNP pathway into public health. I believe one of the biggest strategies to move forward in the middle of a chronic disease crisis is to include more health education and promotion into clinical practice. Chronic diseases have long been the leading causes of death and disability. There is no doubt that the current health care system needs to adapt to be able to see a shift into the rapid increased on mental health, obesity, heart disease, cancer, respiratory illness to mentioned a few. There is a critical need to develop and cultivate new knowledge and skill sets among health care professionals. Health care professionals are natural educators and caregivers; thus, there should be opportunity to get trained on health education and lifestyle modifications and public health strategies to assist patients in their recovery of health. The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019, (COVID-19) pandemic, has worsen the overall state of health among the population and has saturated health services, leaving those with chronic disease in a worse state. A program targeting primary care clinicians, like the one you are interested, can make a difference in reducing chronic illness.

[Rafael Cruzado]

Hi Carol,
Great question! As Susan stated on this forum, public health is not a population/area considered by the Consensus Model yet. Hopefully, it will be considered in the future. My DNP trach is psych, and I can see a relationship between public health and psych working together to better outreach the population in our communities. At present, psych is underdiagnosed, underserved, and highly stigmatized. The covid-19 pandemic has only evidenced the need for more attention to mental health in our society. I see the opportunity to develop a DNP workforce that is more accessible to the population via home health.
On the other hand, chronic health issues like diabetes, congestive heart failure, asthma, teens’ health, and sexually transmitted infection prevention are just a few areas of concentration to create a DNP pathway. Education like lifestyle changes is a vital element for the success of such initiatives. Another area requiring immediate attention is gerontology; with the Baby Boomers generation aging as a group, the need to provide adequate specialized healthcare will be an excellent opportunity for DNPs and healthcare professionals to intervene. Thank you for inquiring about this topic, and I wish you the best of luck in your efforts to help your university.

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