Practice doctorates like the DNP are distinguished by the completion of a scholarly project that demonstrates the synthesis of the student’s work and provides the foundation for future practice scholarship. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) have specified that Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students must complete a scholarly project with the components of planning, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of new practice knowledge. DNP program faculty can use the project as a teaching and learning strategy for establishing baseline practice scholarship knowledge, skills and attitudes, that prepare the next generation of nurses to engage in practice scholarship.
Even with these guidelines, national variation exists in the format, quality and, rigor of the DNP project, causing frustration for faculty, students, and practice sites where DNP students plan to implement their projects. Data from a national survey revealed that 78 (87%) DNP program directors were ‘somewhat’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ with the DNP project and a major challenge was the project structure. These program directors recommend establishing national standards with clear project definitions.
The need to clarify DNP graduate scholarship and the characteristics of the DNP project was the impetus for the AACN 2015 white paper. According to AACN and NONPF, DNP projects should be framed by the EBP process and include:
- Synthesis and translation of evidence
- Systems or population focus
- Practice change that impacts healthcare outcomes through direct or indirect care
- Demonstrate implementation in an appropriate area of practice
- Include an evaluation of processes or outcomes
- Include a plan for sustainability
- Provide a foundation for future scholarship
These criteria suggest that DNP projects should start with the evidence and use EBP and QI processes to solve practice problems.
Clear national DNP project standards are needed for several reasons. National standards can be used as a benchmark for assessing if the quality of the project is on target for awarding a nursing practice doctorate. Standards can provide a clear message that practice doctorates like the DNP produce rigorous, scholarly projects intended to translate existing evidence into practice to solve real-world problems, in contrast to Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) dissertations that address gaps in the existing research that contribute to new discipline specific knowledge.
In this presentation, we outline a DNP project roadmap that operationalizes the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties’ DNP project criteria to help guide DNP project formation, evolution and implementation.
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