The decision to enroll for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree was primarily informed by a desire to advance my professional knowledge and contribute to the development of the nursing profession. Initially, I was drawn to the advanced clinical practice, leadership, and evidence-based judgment of the DNP’s focus. Recognizing the ever-changing healthcare services provision, I sought to pursue a program that could equip me with the skills to address the healthcare challenges affecting society. According to McNett et al. (2021, the DNP or practice-based doctorate nurses serve as leaders in both formal and informal capacities and work with healthcare teams to translate research into practice. This aspect was integral to my decision as I always wanted to learn how to use nursing knowledge and skills to help fellow professionals cope with modern pathology. With the vision of making a significant difference in patient care, I found seeking further studies to be a crucial component of navigating complex healthcare systems and implementing evidence-based initiatives effectively. Besides, the DNP is recognized as the highest clinical nursing degree, emphasizing its importance in shaping the future of healthcare delivery. Thus, pursuing the DNP degree implies my desire to learn something new, sharpen my professional competencies, and my intention to impact the health care outcome directly.
The DNP is the highest level of clinical nursing-related education. The program is essential as nurses must have a combination of theory and practice to work effectively in today’s complicated environment. In relation to the current healthcare system, the DNP connects theoretical aspects to evidence-based practice, thus improving clinical decision-making. DNP will revolutionize the quality and value of care in all systems of practice-prepared nurses as they will lead change in all spheres of healthcare settings. In the future, the DNP degree is poised to become all the more essential to shaping the direction of nursing practice. Healthcare is a dynamic field that continues to evolve amid changing demography, technology, and healthcare policies. As such, DNP-prepared nurses are uniquely positioned to lead system transformations that will improve nursing care (McCauley et al., 2020). Notably, its recognition as a change agent in research to practice, health care policy reform, and quality improvement will give the DNP-prepared nurses a significant role in providing care (Reynolds & Sabol, 2023). Moreover, with the introduction of interprofessional and collaborative healthcare practices, the DNP-prepared nurses act as the primary stakeholders, improving patient outcomes through their advanced clinical knowledge and leadership skills in interdisciplinary teams. Thus, the DNP degree enhances individual nursing practice and significantly improves health care quality, especially patient-centered care.
Currently, I work in a healthcare institution that would greatly benefit from a quality improvement or practice change project. However, I have not spoken to anyone about my practicum site and preceptor needs. My strategy will be to talk about possible collaboration with some of the key professionals within that organization to gather information on collaborative opportunities. I intend to present the rationale for my project, highlighting its potential benefits for the organization and its alignment with organizational goals. I will also leverage my professional network and seek the help of academic advisors to identify practicum places that provide correct preceptorship. Through proactive communication and strategic networking, I aim to secure a practicum site and preceptor that aligns with the objectives of my DNP program and the healthcare organization’s needs.
References
McCauley, L. A., Broome, M. E., Frazier, L., Hayes, R., Kurth, A., Musil, C. M., Norman, L. D., Rideout, K. H., & Villarruel, A. M. (2020). Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in the United States: Reflecting, readjusting, and getting back on track. Nursing Outlook, 68(4), 494–503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2020.03.008
McNett, M., Masciola, R., Sievert, D., & Tucker, S. (2021). Advancing evidence‐based practice through implementation science: Critical contributions of doctor of nursing practice‐ and doctor of philosophy‐prepared nurses. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 18(2), 93–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12496
Reynolds, S. S., & Sabol, V. K. (2023). The role of doctor of nursing practice-prepared nurses to improve quality of patient care. Creative Nursing, 29(2), 172–176. https://doi.org/10.1177/10784535231195425
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