Inconsistency in Faculty and Student Perceptions of DNP and PhD Leader Scholarly Activity.

OBJECTIVE We aimed to quantify faculty and student perceptions of scholarly activities for doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and PhD leaders. BACKGROUND The American Association of Colleges of Nursing describes DNP as a practice-focused degree and PhD as a research-focused degree. In 2016, the Council on Graduate Education for Administration in Nursing (now Association for Leadership Science in Nursing) published in the Journal of Nursing Administration sample practice objectives for DNP and research objectives for PhD leaders. METHODS Using the published objectives, we surveyed faculty and students to quantify congruence with the publication and consistency within groups. The data informed intraprofessional education constructed using action research. RESULTS There was low congruence between faculty and student responses with the article. PhD faculty had the least, and PhD students, the greatest, consistency in survey responses. CONCLUSIONS Confusion exists within our faculty and students around differentiating PhD and DNP scholarly activities. Data supported need to clarify scholarly role boundaries through intraprofessional education.