The Doctor of Nursing Practice: A National Workforce Perspective

Abstract

As President of the Council on Graduate Education for Administration of Nursing (CGEAN), I am writing to thank Cronenwett et al for elucidating issues related to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).Over the past year, CGEAN has also addressed these concerns with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) as they relate to the preparation of nurse leaders.1Letter to the EditorCGEAN Responds to Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing.JONA. 2010; 40: 145-246Crossref PubMed Google Scholar Evolving tomorrow’s nurse leaders is a challenging task in the complex, quality-focused, interdisciplinary practices in which such roles are enacted today. It seems quite appropriate that a level of higher education should be required of persons filling these roles; however, economic realities and the current statistics on educational preparation of leaders make moving to the DNP challenging.In the 2008 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses,2HRSA. National Sample Survey of Registered Nursing. 2010. Available at: http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/rnsurvey/2008/. Accessed April 20, 2011.Google Scholar using the title “manager” (the entry level to the role of nurse leader in healthcare organizations), we find that only about 50% of those individuals were prepared at the bachelor’s level! When considering the number of associate degree nurses who do not pursue additional education, it makes eliminating the master’s as a “step” in the educational progression of nurses a risky proposition that may result in a continued workforce that is under-prepared for leadership positions. Further, the absence of a nursing master’s option could have unintended consequences of moving nurses in leadership roles to other fields to secure a master’s degree. This would only further dilute the knowledge needed to be highly effective in leading and managing the nursing team.We concur that certification, licensure, and accreditation policies should reflect the value of educational options. For those nurses who are academically prepared to enter a doctoral program, we encourage such further education. But when most nurses and, thus, many of the leadership positions, are not yet at the baccalaureate level, eliminating the master’s in nursing as part of the educational progression could be counterproductive to patients and the profession.This knowledge also suggests that this thoughtful piece in Nursing Outlook should be a “must read” for faculty engaged in making decisions about doctoral educational programming. As President of the Council on Graduate Education for Administration of Nursing (CGEAN), I am writing to thank Cronenwett et al for elucidating issues related to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Over the past year, CGEAN has also addressed these concerns with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) as they relate to the preparation of nurse leaders.1Letter to the EditorCGEAN Responds to Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing.JONA. 2010; 40: 145-246Crossref PubMed Google Scholar Evolving tomorrow’s nurse leaders is a challenging task in the complex, quality-focused, interdisciplinary practices in which such roles are enacted today. It seems quite appropriate that a level of higher education should be required of persons filling these roles; however, economic realities and the current statistics on educational preparation of leaders make moving to the DNP challenging. In the 2008 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses,2HRSA. National Sample Survey of Registered Nursing. 2010. Available at: http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/rnsurvey/2008/. Accessed April 20, 2011.Google Scholar using the title “manager” (the entry level to the role of nurse leader in healthcare organizations), we find that only about 50% of those individuals were prepared at the bachelor’s level! When considering the number of associate degree nurses who do not pursue additional education, it makes eliminating the master’s as a “step” in the educational progression of nurses a risky proposition that may result in a continued workforce that is under-prepared for leadership positions. Further, the absence of a nursing master’s option could have unintended consequences of moving nurses in leadership roles to other fields to secure a master’s degree. This would only further dilute the knowledge needed to be highly effective in leading and managing the nursing team. We concur that certification, licensure, and accreditation policies should reflect the value of educational options. For those nurses who are academically prepared to enter a doctoral program, we encourage such further education. But when most nurses and, thus, many of the leadership positions, are not yet at the baccalaureate level, eliminating the master’s in nursing as part of the educational progression could be counterproductive to patients and the profession. This knowledge also suggests that this thoughtful piece in Nursing Outlook should be a “must read” for faculty engaged in making decisions about doctoral educational programming.