[Jennifer]

Hello,
Thank you for posting the State DNP education report of 2022. This is a great resource to keep tabs on how the DNP degree is being developed and utilized in the workplace. In terms of preceptorship in DNP programs, 69% of DNP programs did not maintain contractual clinical site partnerships. This number is concerning because it forces students to take what they can when it comes to clinical practice/training. I know people who are buying their credit hours by paying NPs and MDs because they cannot find a clinical site that will take them in. One cannot assess for quality training when there is no relationship between the school and the preceptor. This is also reflected in the employers’ suggestion on changing the perceived value of a DNP degree. The program should be made more rigorous, make sure DNP graduates are able to demonstrate distinct qualifications, and promote DNP by clearly explaining and defining the difference between MSN and DNP. They also suggested limiting number of online programs, which means that the schools need to be more hands on with the students. In order for DNP nurses to become more verbal about their skillsets and value, we first need to be confident in what we know and what we can do.

[Jennifer]

Hi Avery,
I have experienced various reactions from people when they find out that I am in a DNP program. First of all, I usually just say I’m in a psych NP grad school and I only mention the DNP portion when they ask me why my program is so long. I’m careful not to disclose everything at once because I have noticed that people either try to defend their decision to do a master’s route to become an NP or be impressed by the fact. To be frank, I enrolled in a DNP program because I wanted to earn my terminal degree instead of getting my master’s and going back to school later. While going through the DNP program I am realizing the potential of this study and how this will shape me as a provider. Yes, I have heard many times that master’s prepared NPs can do the same things that DNP prepared NPs can. This may be true as we know BSN nurses don’t always make better nurses than ADN nurses. We also know that when we are better educated, we receive more respect. An example is the power of nurses in Magnet-designated hospitals. On a larger scale, our field needs more nurses who break out of their designated space and apply EBP, leadership, and improve quality outcomes of clinical practices. You will be one of the DNP-prepared nurse leaders who will change people’s negative outlook DNP programs.

[Jennifer]

Hi Njideka,
Thanks for bringing up the topic of DNP project ideas. I am also learning from reading the responses to your post. I am coming to the end of my first year in my DNP program and I still do not have a solid idea of what I want to do for my DNP project. It feels like such a vast project, and it feels overwhelming to start thinking about it. I’d recommend talking to other DNP students who are further along their studies and to nurses in your specialty about the issues they have noticed at work. You can also look up published works of other DNP graduates and see if the topics of their projects interest you.

[Jennifer]

Hi Susan,
I am also a DNP student in California in the PMHNP track. I personally chose a DNP program over a master’s was for two reasons. One, I wanted the most and best quality education possible as a PMHNP because I knew my knowledge and judgement will have significant impact on the mental/physical health of my patients once I become a provider. Two, I have a personal goal of opening my own telehealth business and I want to use the title of doctor when advertising my business. Of course, I have no intention of misleading my patients by using the title of doctor and I will always specify my credentials as a PMHNP, but I wanted the public to know that I have a terminal degree in my field. Jeffrey brought up a good point about the doctor joke in pop culture. The reality is no one refuses to call their dentist a doctor because they understand that the dentist is also a doctor. The dentists are not trying to pretend to be physicians, and neither are NPs! The AMA keeps using patients as an excuse to say nurses cannot use the title of doctor, but it is interesting that they seem to believe that patients are not capable of making distinctions among anyone with the title of doctor and therefore they must be the ones to “protect the patients” by not preventing nurses to use their own title.

[Author]

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