The Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree: Focus on Evidence-Based Practice Knowledge Application

Kleinpell, Ruth M.

Wednesday, 24 July 2013

Ruth M. Kleinpell, RN, PhD, FAAN, FAANP¹
Janet Dubois, DNP, ARNP, FAANP²
Roger Green, DNP, FNP, FAANP²
(1)Rush University Medical Center and Rush University College of Nursing, Chicago, IL
(2)College of Nursing, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to identify the degree to which evidence based practice concepts are included in doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) education

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to describe the types of evidence based practice teaching-learning strategies being used in doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) education

Purpose: The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) has been advocated for entry into practice for advanced practice nurses (APNs). The growth in DNP programs in the United States (U.S.) has been significant, with over 200 programs and 10,000 persons enrolled or graduated from existing programs. While the DNP graduate is prepared to provide leadership for promoting practice excellence through evidence based practice methodology, limited information is known about the degree to which evidence based practice concepts are integrated into DNP curricula. The purpose of this study was to evaluate DNP curricula and identify the degree to which coursework and project work experiences focus on evidence based practice concepts.

Methods: A review of DNP curricula from all DNP programs in the U.S. was conducted via website review of programs of study and online course descriptions. The degree to which evidence based concepts were integrated into the curricula were graded based the Joanna Briggs Institute’s recommendations for teaching evidence based practice.

Results: In concordance with the Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Practice Nursing, majority of DNP programs have structured their curriculum to incorporate coursework on the application of evidence based practice concepts. Several programs integrate evidence based practice as a focus for the DNP capstone or for clinical practice experiences. This session will present the results of the curricular review, and highlight examples of specific teaching-learning strategies used to reinforce evidence based practice concepts in DNP curricula.

Conclusions: The DNP is acknowledged as a practice focused doctorate which is designed to prepare experts in clinical practice who provide leadership for evidence based practice. While majority of DNP programs incorporate coursework on evidence based practice concepts, enhanced integration of learning opportunities for the application of evidence based practice would help to ensure that the DNP graduate is a true knowledge expert on evidence based practice.

See more of: Research Posters Session 2
See more of: Research Sessions: Oral Paper & Posters