While a master's degree is required to practice as an APRN, many find find that earning a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) allows you to advance your practice and pursue healthcare leadership positions.
Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) help bridge the gap in today's healthcare system by providing primary care, specialty, and acute healthcare services. Ongoing staffing shortages have left physicians and registered nurses with less time to spend with their patients, and APRNs often can provide more personalized, patient-centered care.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of APRN positions in the United States is expected to grow over 40 percent between 2023 and 2033. As the demand continues to grow, effective APRN leadership will ensure APRNs have access to the resources and support they need to provide patients with the best possible care.
Compared to registered nurses, APRNs have more autonomy. In recent years, as the healthcare industry continues to grapple with historically low staffing levels, APRNs had the opportunity to become primary decision-makers. This, in turn, became a best practice in healthcare roles. APRNs must apply current research and create innovative solutions for complex healthcare issues due to their direct patient care roles in evaluation and treatment.
Due to their extensive knowledge of the nursing profession and their advanced clinical skills, APRNs have a unique opportunity to meet the growing demands of complex healthcare systems. In many ways, APRNs can serve as the central point of contact for patients, connecting them with specialists while simultaneously providing them with a proactive, comprehensive preventative healthcare plan.
The DNP is a graduate degree program designed for nurses who want to advance their clinical practice. Per the American Nurses Association, the DNP program empowers nurses to develop the advanced skills required to apply the most recent research findings in clinical settings.
Both the DNP and PhD in Nursing are doctoral degree programs, but their scope is distinctly different. The DNP program is a terminal degree program for nurses who want to advance their clinical practice. In contrast, the PhD in Nursing program is a doctoral degree program for nurses who wish to pursue an academic career and focus on conducting nursing research.
The DNP program is considered to be the premier qualification for APRNs. It is also an excellent option for nurses who want to advance their clinical practice and improve their ability to create and implement evidence-based solutions in clinical settings.
In addition to focusing on clinical skill development within advanced practice roles, the DNP program also prioritizes strategic leadership skills, such as:
In many cases, APRNs must collaborate with other healthcare professionals who are members of the patient's care team. Throughout the DNP program, APRNs will develop the soft skills required to become thoughtful, intuitive, and confident healthcare leaders.
Throughout the DNP program coursework, APRNs will begin to think more about the healthcare system as a whole rather than their specific role within it. This ability to engage in systems-level thinking enables APRNs to emerge as strong and effective leaders in the healthcare field.
Given their ability to apply research findings and develop evidence-based solutions, DNP-prepared APRNs are in a position to have a significant impact on the healthcare field.
With their ability to leverage the power of systems-level thinking, DNPs often recognize the health equity gap's impact on patient populations throughout the country. As a result, they are in a unique position to advocate for healthcare policy reform that will reduce the health equity gap and improve outcomes for patients of all backgrounds.
Combining their extensive knowledge of clinical research findings with their intuitive understanding of healthcare policy, DNP-prepared APRNs can collaborate with legislators and healthcare administrators to shape policy through evidence-based practice.
As leaders in the healthcare field who continue to work directly with patients, DNP-prepared nurses play an essential role in the legislative process. They can help influence legislative and regulatory decision-making by sharing anecdotal experiences and providing insight into the most recent nursing research findings.
While the PhD in Nursing focuses primarily on conducting nursing research, the DNP program is designed for nurses who want to achieve the highest level of clinical expertise in their specialty area.
Throughout the DNP program, nurses will learn more about conducting nursing research and applying those findings within clinical settings, permitting them to offer more complex healthcare services to their patients.
The DNP program uniquely prepares nurses to implement creative and effective solutions within clinical settings, enabling patients to enjoy better care and improved outcomes.
The DNP program emphasizes applying research findings in clinical settings and leveraging the power of data to drive evidence-based solutions. It allows nurses to learn how to utilize data effectively to enhance patient safety and improve outcomes.
Anchored by research findings and applicable data, the DNP program prepares nurses to create innovative healthcare delivery solutions by:
Throughout the DNP program, nurses can work with advanced technology and explore the field of nursing informatics, equipping them with the skills required to streamline care and improve resource allocation within healthcare facilities.
With an advanced understanding of the social determinants of health that impact the health equity gap, DNP-prepared nurses can design new care models that enable underserved populations to access safe, effective, and high-quality healthcare treatment services.
In addition to focusing on improving patient care and outcomes, DNP-prepared nurses can utilize systems-level thinking to implement cost-saving initiatives within healthcare systems that improve resource allocation and promote sustainability within the facility.
As a terminal degree, the DNP equips APRNs with the highest level of knowledge and clinical expertise in nursing, which can lead to more opportunities for advancement throughout their careers.
Some of the career paths for DNP-prepared APRNs include:
Combining their advanced clinical experiences with their high-level knowledge of the healthcare system, DNP-prepared nurses can often pursue clinical leadership roles. Some of the clinical leadership roles that are particularly rewarding include:
Building on their professional expertise and clinical foundation, DNP-prepared nurses may be able to pursue executive-level positions in health systems and academia, such as Chief Nurse Executive and Nurse Educator.
To best meet the needs of a particular patient population, DNP-prepared APRNs can pursue entrepreneurial endeavors that enable them to carve out their own path and preserve their autonomy. By establishing a private practice or creating a healthcare startup company, APRNs can have a targeted impact on their local community.
By building on their foundation in advanced practice and improving their ability to implement evidence-based solutions in clinical settings, the DNP program empowers APRNs with the confidence they need to take on the complex challenges facing the healthcare system today.
Utilizing the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the DNP program, APRNs can take on leadership positions in which they can enact change, create innovative solutions, and improve health equity among the population that they serve.
Over 72,000 nurses have graduated with a DNP degree since 2004. The future of healthcare depends upon the innovative leadership of DNP-prepared nurses.
By expanding your knowledge of population-based healthcare, the Doctor of Nursing Practice can help you elevate your practice as an APRN. At Nebraska Methodist College (NMC), we offer an online APRN to DNP program with an accelerated curriculum, empowering you to build on your existing foundation as an APRN and complete your DNP program within 24 months or less. In addition to didactic coursework, this program includes a capstone project, allowing you to learn how to apply nursing research findings within your own practice.
Apply now to our APRN to DNP program.
Sources
https://www.methodistcollege.edu/nursing/doctor-of-nursing-practice/aprn-to-dnp
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm
https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/what-is-nursing/aprn/
https://www.nursingworld.org/content-hub/resources/nursing-leadership/chief-nursing-officer/