Essay On The Doctorate Of Nursing Practice

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Introduction The Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) represents the terminal practice degree for the field of nursing.
Evolution of the DNP Degree The DNP embodies the convergence of the various practice doctorates in nursing and was adopted as the terminal practice degree in nursing by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in 2004 (Chism, 2016). Historically, nurses have been prepared at the doctoral level through a variety of degrees both outside of and within nursing. These various degrees include, but are not limited to, the doctor of education (EdD), DNS, DNSc, DrNP, ND, and PhDs in various fields of basic or applied sciences related to nursing.
Doctorate education for nursing began at Columbia University Teachers …show more content…

In fact, there have been numerous studies supporting the clinical performance and outcomes of NPs. A systematic review covering the literature from 1990-2008 found that patient outcomes of care provided by APRNs in collaboration with physicians were similar to and in some manners, exceeded those of physicians alone (Newhouse et al., 2011) Newhouse, et al’s review added to the available evidence that APRNs provide safe, effective, quality care to specific populations (2011). In their review, they did not separate outcomes of NPs with full practice authority from those with reduced or restricted practice. Due to the patchwork of state regulation and restrictions on NP practice, it may be challenging to compare the outcomes of NPs with full independent practice from those with reduced or restricted practice. Furthermore, the AANP states “there are numerous studies that demonstrate nurse practitioners consistently provided high-quality and safe care” (n.d.). They go on to state “in the more than 100 studies on care provided by both nurse practitioners and physicians, not a single study has found that nurse practitioners provide inferior services” (AANP, n.d.). The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has also reviewed the literature and determined there is not a significant difference in the outcome of NPs and physicians that would necessitate the anti-competitive nature of scope-of-practice regulations and restrictions on advanced practice nursing (Federal Trade Commission [FTC],

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