Overview on the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

On October 25, 2004, the members of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) endorsed the Position Statement on the Practice Doctorate in Nursing which was brought forward by the Task Force on the Practice Doctorate. AACN member institutions voted to move the current level of preparation necessary for advanced nursing practice from the master's degree to the doctorate level by the year 2015.

Currently, advanced practice nurses (APNs), including Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Mid-Wives, and Nurse Anesthetists, are prepared in master's degree programs that often carry a credit load equivalent to doctoral degrees in the other health professions. AACN's new position statement calls for educating APNs and other nurses seeking top clinical roles in Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs. The changing demands of this nation's complex health care environment require the highest level of scientific knowledge and practice expertise to assure high quality patient outcomes.

The practice doctorate is designed for nurses seeking a terminal degree in nursing practice, and offers an alternative to research focused doctoral programs (i.e. PhD programs). Though only a handful of practice doctorates currently exist, many new programs are taking shape nationwide, and several have expressed interest in seeking accreditation. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education has agreed to initiate a process for the accreditation for practice doctorates.

Recent Developments

• Since adopting the position statement, the AACN Board of Directors has formed two task forces to work toward this new vision for nursing education and practice. The Task Force on the Roadmap to the DNP is charged with examining DNP program development, master's-to-doctoral transition programs, regulations and licensure, reimbursement for APNs, and other issues. The Task Force on the Essentials of Nursing Education for the DNP is charged with developing a statement of the essential curricular elements and competencies that must be present in programs that offer the DNP degree. To complete this work, the task force will review curricular content and competency expectations articulated in the existing "Essentials" documents and other relevant sources, and seek input from diverse stakeholder groups.
  
  
• There are currently nine practice doctorates in nursing degrees accepting students nationwide, including programs at Case Western Reserve University, Columbia University, Drexel University, Rush University, Tri-College University, University of Kentucky, University of South Carolina, and University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center is also in the process of transitioning its Doctor of Nursing degree (ND) into a Doctor of Nursing Practice program. A recent AACN survey found that more than 40 additional DNP programs are now under development nationwide.

Last Update: June 15, 2005