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DNPProgramStudies.com is designed to help potential doctoral students make an informed decision about earning a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. This site will inform you about why studying for your DNP is valuable, how to earn your degree and where, career choices, job demand, salary, and what you will learn.
DNP Overview
The healthcare environment in the United States is always getting more complicated. That is why many online universities offer an online DNP degree that is designed for board-certified Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) who have earned their Master of Science in Nursing.
A DNP program integrates evidence-based practice with strong leadership and analytical principles to prepare experienced nurses for executive roles in nursing leadership and practice.
A DNP prepares the nursing professional to:
- Become a healthcare and nursing leader in healthcare systems and organizations, and promote efficient and secure healthcare delivery.
- Perform practice-based research that adds an original perspective to vital nursing practice scholarship.
- Use data, informatics, and technology to enhance processes and implement critical changes in healthcare systems.
- Design and apply healthcare policies that influence financing, safety, quality, access to care, and practice regulation.
- Create evidence-based interventions that improve population health and clinical outcomes.
Earning a DNP is a wise career choice because the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) recommended in 2004 that the DNP degree should be the required terminal degree for most nursing professionals, including those who wish to be APRNs, work as professors, or work in the highest healthcare executive positions. (AACNnursing.org)
Today, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) is pushing the industry to require the DNP as the minimum degree for nurse practitioners by 2025.
Job Demand in the Nursing Profession
As the US population ages and people are demanding more healthcare services, the demand for most nurses has increased dramatically. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports demand for advanced practice nurses – including nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners – will rise by 26% by 2028. This is much faster than other occupations. (BLS.gov)
Many professionals who earn their DNP eventually become APRNs, so earning this coveted degree could make you in high demand for many high-level clinical nursing roles.
Also, healthcare managers and executives will see an 18% increase in job demand by 2028, which is much faster than average. The greater need for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals means there will be more demand for healthcare and nursing executives, especially those with a DNP. (BLS.gov)
Salaries With DNP Degree
DNP holders can be confident that they will make some of the highest salaries in the nursing profession. BLS.com reports the median salary for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners was $115,800 in 2019. The top 10% earned more than $184,000, which is what many DNP holders probably can earn with enough experience in the nursing field. (BLS.gov)
Medical and nursing administration managers and executives can earn a median salary of $100,900, with the top 10% earning more than $189,000. (BLS.gov)
What You Learn in a DNP Program
Doctor of Nursing Practice programs vary in their content, but the essential advanced nursing practice concepts that you learn tend to be similar. The backbone of the DNP is to provide compassionate patient care, and there are five critical skills associated with the role that often go beyond the patient-to-nurse relationship. These skills allow DNPs to deal effectively with the functional and administrative needs of the complex contemporary healthcare system. They also can provide DNPs with the important tools they need to produce scientific and clinical advances in the healthcare and nursing fields. (Regiscollege.edu)
- Executive leadership: Professionals who successfully finish a DNP program have been groomed to be leaders and executives in advanced nursing practice. They may be tasked with synthesizing their nursing expertise into innovative and sustainable nursing programs that can have a positive effect on patient health.
- Clinical instruction: DNP holders often need to be teachers as they share their research, findings, and the program itself with other nursing professionals. They need to be able to teach and educate others in an engaging and informative manner. This critical skill can help DNP holders to understand and deal with challenges that can occur in a classroom.
- Problem-solving: DNPs are employed in high-level professions related to research, healthcare administration, and academia. They are frequently used on the front lines of the world of nursing and medicine. When a possible problem emerges from such changes, it is important for the DNP holder to recognize and deal with the issues before they affect healthcare outcomes.
- Enhance patient outcomes: Every part of sustainable nursing practice should be put in place with the idea of creating a better patient experience, from implementing the latest research to overseeing healthcare administrative needs. People who complete a DNP successfully obtain the tools that ensure patient outcomes are always prioritized above everything else in a healthcare system.
- Improving nursing practice: The nursing field is ever-changing, so DNPs need to stay ahead of these changes. At the same time, they need to have the acumen to integrate new healthcare initiatives in a way that is economically viable that does not affect the enhancement of patient outcomes.
Summary
While person-to-person care is critical in nursing practice, the DNP role transcends that area. It is one that uses research, administrative, and academic skills to find new ways to advance nursing and healthcare to enhance patient outcomes.
Earning your DNP could be a great way to improve your nursing career future. Please use this website to find out more about DNP programs.
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