There Is Absolutely NOT a Doctor in This House!

Abstract

In October 2004, the membership of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) adopted the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) Position Statement suggesting that entry level for advanced practice nurses should transition from the master’s degree to that of a doctorate of nursing practice. This recommendation was the result of extensive study, review, and consultation with multiple stakeholders and is based on multiple concerns. Specifically, this involved a belief that practice demands and the increasingly complex health care system (even before the Affordable Care Act!) in our country resulted in a need to expand education for those who would be practicing at an advanced level. Additional rationale included such things as the finding that the number of credits within many master’s degree programs were close to that of a doctorate and a desire to be consistent with other professions such as physical therapy and pharmacy, which had already moved to require entry level of practice to be a doctorate. Ongoing discussions and numerous regional hearings were held to discuss, debate, and review the pros and the cons of this new educational endeavor. Individuals already practicing at the advanced practice level were concerned that they would no longer be eligible to practice, and there were concerns about the impact this would have on research-based doctorates (doctor of philosophy degrees). Although the debates persisted, opinions were shared, and concerns were raised, the horse was out of the barn, so to speak, and the AACN Board of Directors created the Task Force on the Essentials of the Doctorate of Nursing Practice and charged this task force with development of curricular expectations to guide the development of DNP education. Needless to say, these programs developed and multiplieddalthough somewhat like assisted living facilities, if you have seen one you have seen one! The programs continue to be quite varied in rigor, requirements, and content.