Statement of Purpose Doctor of Nursing Practice Essay Luisa Walsh 2/18/2013 In today’s healthcare system, nursing is a challenging field as a result of rapid technological advances and changes in healthcare policies. As a dedicated nursing professional, with a great passion for learning, I strive to stay on top of these changes. I am determined to increase my knowledge to be an instrumental part of providing quality healthcare. The demands of nursing are high; however the rewards are even higher. Nursing requires both a supreme understanding of the science of health, and a caring bedside manner befitting only those who seek a position of such a personal involvement in the well-being of a patient. Academically, I will put forth all of …show more content…
In addition, a DNP degree will help me better serve my community by advocating for quality and safety healthcare system. Once attained, I would seek employment at either a school or university with the mission of educating nursing students to practice the highest quality of patient care. One of the major issues facing the nursing profession today is the lack of advance nursing practices. The medical field is in crisis. Doctors are stretched to the limits, and patients are demanding more advanced care. To alleviate some of the concerns facing medicine in the 21st century, advance nursing practices is a vital area in the contribution of understanding and working within the bounds of a team structure, and the promotion of communication between the interdisciplinary health team. The mission of the advance nursing practice is to help individual patients, and their families, determine and achieve optimum physical, mental and social potential, and to do so within the challenging context of the environment in which they live and work Nurses are among the largest professional care group within the healthcare service industry. We are responsible for providing quality care and assisting patients towards independent and healthy living. Considering the changing working environment, health care practitioners like nurses are
Nursing is a dynamic profession and life long learning is essential for nurses to stay current with the increased complexity of the healthcare needs of today and into the future. In other words, the needs of our patients are changing, as we must change in order to be prepared to better serve that need.
With the healthcare system continuing to advance, DNPs in clinical practice is expected to take on more significant roles in problem-solving and advocacy, as well as teaming up with other specialties and medical professionals. This increased responsibility comes with higher pay rates and opportunities for advancement, especially as existing DNP holders start to retire. According to the AACN, during the time year of 2015-2016, the number of students enrolled in DNP programs increased from 21,995 to 25,289, and the number of DNP graduates increased from 4,100 to 4,855. (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2015). The DNP degree prepares nurses to provide patient care at the highest level of education and practice. Programs have two entry
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2015) the traditional roles of the advanced practice nurses include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists. Therefore, the impact of the research on the practice of the preparation of DNP nurse educator requires education in evidence-based practice, quality improvement, leadership, policy advocacy, informatics, and systems theory. Furthermore, transitioning to the DNP as a nurse educator does not change the current scope of practice of the Advance Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) for their current roles. The transition of the DNP better prepares APRNs by utilizing new models of the care delivery system and growing complexity of health
Since 2004, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has formally encouraged APNs to practice to the full extent of their capabilities. The organization has also actively worked to promote the pursuit of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. The AACN took this course or action after sponsoring a special taskforce that examined how nurses with this high-level training could positively impact population treatment outcomes. Today, nursing institutions delivers such training in the classroom and online. Doctor of Nursing Practice hopefuls may pursue learning tracks in specialty disciplines such as Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Certified-Nurse Midwife, and Certified Nurse Anesthetist.
The reports of the program for the nurse practitioners grew quickly and more programs for NPs were developed. In the 1980’s the nurse practitioner programs progressed into graduate programs. In 2005 the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) became the newest level of training for the nurse practitioner ("Nurse Practitioners: Shaping the Future of Health Care • Nursing, History, and Health Care • Penn Nursing," n.d.). The nurse practitioner’s role has evolved tremendously over time and they are considered a great asset to health care today.
Theoretical DNP curricula typically involve an extensive course of research that culminates in dissertation or published research paper, while clinical programs immerse practitioners deep in intense experiences. Clinical training, however, commonly concludes with a project when near gradates showcase the clinical skills they’ve learned. Clinical DNP programs now prepare nurse practitioners for advanced nursing practice with a heavy emphasis on innovative, evidence-based research.
To reflect on the recommendation by the IOM and the consensus by American Association of Colleges of Nursing (ANCN) to elevate the educational level for the advanced practice nurses to increase patient healthcare quality, safety, and positive health outcomes are the DNP essentials with healthcare policy and competencies that are relevant to advocacy (Melnyk, 2013). According to Potempa (2011), the DNP essentials are relevant to DNP graduates, as well as the DNP students to be prepared to involve proactively in the healthcare policy preparations and implementation in all system levels. In addition, it prepares the DNP nurses to lead and provide a critical boundary between the research, policy, and practice (Melnyk, B. M. (2013). Therefore, the
Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) that are prepared beyond primary nursing education and trained to provide specialized care directly to patients (Christian, Dowder, & O’Neil, 2007). In practice since the development of the first NP program in 1965, these healthcare providers play a progressively significant role as primary care providers for millions of Americans nationwide (The American Association of Nurse Practitioners [AANP], 2015). NPs must hold advanced degrees and complete extensive acute and specialty care preparation to officially practice (2015). NPs have traditionally trained to achieve their Master’s in Nursing Science in order to apply and test in this examination (Kleinpell, Scanlon, Hibbert, Ganz, East, Fraser, Wong, & Beauchesne, 2014). However, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has recommended a new standard: nurses must obtain their Doctoral degrees and practice as Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) instead of just obtaining the minimum Master’s degree and practice as NPs (2012). It is believed that the education of DNPs is more easily compared to the education of other healthcare providers (2015). It is
Whenever people are sick or have an emergency and have to go to the hospital, nurses are always there to comfort them. Nursing is a fast growing occupation here in the United States and makes up the vast majority of the healthcare industry. Nursing is a career that allows people to care for others. Aside from the greatness of helping others, it also comes with stressful situations that require plenty of responsibility because the medical field is always evolving. There is a high demand for nurses. Nurses play a huge role in the medical field, particularly nurse practitioners. Although doctors tend to get the most recognition for patient care, the reality is
The shift in the health care management from individual disease management to the population health care approach has been a driven force for the recommendation by the institute of medicine (IOM) in the United States (Sickora, & Chase, 2014). Some of the recommendations include that the advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) to operate more efficiently, practice to their full professional scope, and in a cost effective manner. In light of this, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (ANCN) in 2004, endorsed that the training for APRN should receive training to the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree level (Potempa, 2011). In addition, the ANCN stipulated the education and competency roles of the DNP nurses to include eight
Advanced practice nurses are in high demand due to the increased pressure within our evolving health care system, with a renewed emphasis on health and wellness. According to the American Association College of Nursing, advanced practice nurses must obtain a higher level of learning as well as having key competencies and skills (American Association College of Nursing). The ultimate goal is to achieve positive patient outcomes, resulting in an improved health care system. The purpose of this paper is to provide valuable insights into the education, career path, and roles of a nurse practitioner.
The healthcare profession is an ever evolving world that has changed greatly over the course of history in response to the needs of the communities and world at large. Gone are the days of doctors traveling to homes and communities near and far to provide a service. So much of the care provided now is driven by policies, legal agenda and financial impact. As a result of the changing dynamics within the healthcare industry, the roles of medical personnel have transformed into something once unfathomable. Nursing is a key area where significant changes have been observed over the last half century. Due to the ever increasing number of patients within the healthcare system and a physician pool that is not growing at the same rate, there has
In other words, implications are recommendations derived from the findings of an EBP project or study for future research and for advancement of nursing practice. To meet the challenges of health care, patient safety issues, health professions education, and leadership for nursing practice, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) established the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) as the terminal degree (AACN, 2006). In addition, the AACN recognized that nurses at the DNP level were adept in leadership, clinical practice, information technology and healthcare policy; the challenge was synthesizing nurses’ current expertise with new knowledge gained from DNP programs (Chism, 2016). As a result, the AACN presented the Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice, which, are the “foundational competencies that are core to all advanced nursing practice roles” and required for all graduates of a DNP program regardless of the specialty or area of focus (AACN, 2016, p.8; Chism, 2016). To that end, the PI discussed the eight DNP essentials to make evident its relationship to the EBP change project as well as practice implications for future
Whether you have been practicing for many years or are just beginning your nursing career, you can see that the face of nursing is in transition. Due to rapidly advancing technology, greater autonomy within our field and healthcare reform, many changes are ahead for our profession. These changes are seen in every arena of nursing, whether that is in the hospital, long term care, non-profit or nurse-managed health clinics and give us a peek at what the future of nursing will be like. Patient care is evolving and nurses require a higher skill set to effectively treat such a diverse population (Models, 2010). In response to this need, educational institutes are encouraged to modify and expand loan forgiveness programs and increase the number of grants awarded to nurses furthering their education. The skills that were once needed for new nurses have dramatically changed over the past few years. We must do everything in our power to ensure new nurses are prepared to enter the workforce capable of handling their immense responsibilities (Hendren, 2010). The projected nursing shortage will severely impact patients across the United States and law makers are scrambling to find a solution to the problem. Patient care delivery models are changing across the board, these changes will likely affect us all, and regardless of the area we each practice in. Nurse practitioners will soon be able to practice independent of a physician, which can only mean the role of Registered Nurse will
In today’s society, the medical field is constantly thriving with technological improvements and the growth of educated individuals that contribute to the well-being of others. Nurses make up the largest majority of the industry, and with that, nursing is the fastest growing occupation. Nursing is a job that allows people to not only take care of the sick but also to experience, learn, and further their interests of the human body.