NR661: 10626 W5 APN Capstone Portfolio Parts 1

NR661: 10626 W5 APN Capstone Portfolio Parts 1 .Reflection on the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) The History and Purpose of the DNP Degree A nursing Doctorate (ND) was the first clinical doctoral program to be offered in 1979 by Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. The degree did not need applicants to specialize but was perceived as an entry-level program that holds significant similarity to the Doctor of Medicine degree (Gardenier, Schreibman & Henrich, 2017). It was particularly designed for students with a master’s or bachelor’s degree in another field. There later was eventually changed to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and was launched in 1999 by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, (Ketefian & Redman 2015). The Current State of the DNP Currently, the DNP program is offered in 50 states across the United States, offering over 336 programs with an additional 121 DNP programs in the planning stage, (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, (AACN), 2018). Institutions that offer the APN program also offer DNP programs, having moved the preparation for advanced nursing practice from the masters’ level to the doctorate level (Ketefian & Redman, 2015). The States of Florida, California, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, Minnesota, and Massachusetts currently have the most numbers (over 10) DNP Programs. The number of DNP-enrolled students has increased from 25,289 to 29,093 between 2016 and 2017 (AACN, 2018). Moreover, the number of DNP graduates has also increased from 4,855 to 6,090 during the same period. The Future State of the DNP While there is still some controversy associated with the DNP-prepared APRN, they are positioned to assist with transformative healthcare while helping resolve the complex health problems that define healthcare in the future. Since DNP-prepared nurses have undergone a clinically focused degree, they could play a significant role in easing the burden associated with the shortage of healthcare professional, especially physicians, (Newland, 2017). Furthermore, with the baby boomer’s population defines the demographic in most developed countries. The DNP is expected to aid in providing transformative care expected to address concerns pertaining to an aging population and the challenges it poses in the delivery of healthcare Advantages of having a DNP Research has shown that a DNP is a vital qualification for nurses who seek to expand their scope of practice, as this will surely enhance the nursing delivery of care in evidence-based practice from any traditional limitations associated with the APN. While there is still some controversy regarding the scope of practice associated with the DNP, the degree provides APN nurses an equal footing with their healthcare counterparts, such as physical therapists, physicians, and dentists (Auerbach, et al., 2015). The DNP program not only allows an APRN to gain nursing education, but it also allows them to gain much-needed clinical practice to expand the scope. Such as executive and leadership roles in clinical settings as well as in the business environments; delivery of care based on evidence practice that will contribute in the reduction of healthcare disparities.