Examining the Roles and Competencies of Nurse Leaders, Educators, and Clinicians With a Doctor of Nursing Practice at an Academic Medical Center

BACKGROUND As the nursing profession has gained experience with Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) graduates, it is important to examine the integration, operationalization, and contributions of the DNP-prepared nurse within healthcare systems. Administrators and leaders must have a clear vision of how DNP graduates will contribute within and outside of their organizations. OBJECTIVES This article describes the outcomes of a workgroup comprised of DNP-prepared staff at a large academic medical center. The overarching goal of this group was to examine current practices of our DNP-prepared staff and make recommendations regarding roles and practice to the senior nursing leadership. METHODS A crosswalk comparing the current job descriptions of our DNP-prepared nurse leaders, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse educators with the core competencies of The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice as outlined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing was completed. RESULTS Strategies and tactics to enrich current practice and build leadership capacity were identified. CONCLUSIONS DNP-prepared nurses must continue to document their contributions to the healthcare setting. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING DNP-prepared nurses in the health-care setting must work collaboratively with their senior nursing leaders to seek opportunities to increase their visibility within their organizations, and increase their scholarly output.