In so far as I know, I am presently the only DNP member of the site. I think pamac has very good insight to the rationale for promoting the DNP among Nursing leaders. Clinical nurse leaders will be prepared to impact the role of Nursing and the future of health care in general, by virtue of their DNP education, not by the fact that they could be accurately called "Doctor."
I would also point out that DNP education is not universal. Capstone projects and accompanying clinical experiences vary widely among students based on their interests, and some are far more clinical than others. Mine consisted of 1,000 hours and was decidedly clinical, as it dovetailed with a post masters certification I was earning concurrently. Surveying the titles of any good DNP program (and I went to one of the best- I believe it is #3) should indicate that the purpose is to educate a clinician prepared to direct a practice, health care organization and/or public health policy. They are preparing leaders. That those students are also solidifying some expertise in a niche of special interest to them is also true.
So I will tell you the details of mine that you better understand. I am a FNP in family medicine, with a post master specialty certification in orthopedics. I work in a state with independent NP practice, in a very large multi-specialty group. I have complete parity with my physician colleagues and my own panel. They are very supportive. They have all been used to independent NPs for so long they have to be reminded it isn't that way everywhere, and they can't believe it. I do not have formal "collaboration" and certainly not "supervision."
I have no intention of working in an ortho practice, but we see so many patients in FM with ortho issues, it seemed valuable. My DNP capstone was on shared medical appointments for patients undergoing joint replacement. I ran SMAs for 2 years while also seeing patients in traditional setting, and compared outcomes. Not surprisingly (as there is a mountain of evidence on the subject) the patients in the group setting had better outcomes and were more satisfied with their experience. We also demonstrated that we could be very profitable with SMAs, which was important because our office was formerly in the red. I earned a great deal of money for the clinic with SMAs in the 2nd year ,and pretty much single handedly put my clinic in the black for the first time in 9 years. Our pt satisfaction scores also went up tremendously, which is also credited in large part to the SMAs.
The orthopods know more about performing joint replacement than I do, for sure, lol.
but I know more about running group visits than anyone in my region and I am being asked to travel all over this half of the country to help people implement group visits for a variety of problems (including CHF, diabetes, breast cancer) because while successful once they are in full swing, they can be hard to get off the ground. I am THE foremost local expert on shared medical appointments. Earning a lot of money for the company, not to mention publishing a few things on SMAs, speaking to the Governor and in the state legislature about the potential for SMAs, and being asked to help implement them for the State health dept, being on the local news and local morning shows and talk shows, in the newspaper, in several magazines, and on local radio, has given me a lot of traction, and yes, power. The company ran a big billboard, magazine and newspaper advertising campaign this year. They used 40 providers for the various ads. 39 physicians, and me. And the ad says "XYZ Health Care is proud to have Chilly, the only doctorally prepared NP in the region."
And that is something for a NP that has been out of school for just a few years.
I already exert influence that my MSN prepared NP colleagues do not, and indeed, that many physician providers do not. Not because they aren't "smart." Clearly they know their niche. But I know mine, and right now, with the changes going on in health care, mine is valued just as much and sometimes more, regardless of title. A lot of it is personality too. I'm personable, and I'm well liked. All the important people in the company know who I am, lol. Since we have 1,800 providers, it's kind of nice to stand out.
Anyway, there it is. BTW, my physician and NP colleagues and the staff do call me "Doctor" when they talk about me to patients (they are proud of me, and very supportive). My name is on the sign as Dr. Chilly, FNP-BC
My name tag says Chilly, DNP, FNP-BC. I introduce my self: "Hello, I'm Chilly Pepper, I'm one of the Nurse Practitioners." I don't wear a white coat of any length. White coats are dumb. Sorry, it's true. I dress very well, and I'm not ruining my outfit with a stupid white coat.
So people can call the DNP a joke all they like. I work for the largest private multi specialty practice in the country, and they think I, and my DNP, are the bees knees. Even though I didn't do it to impress them, or any one else, I'm enjoying the benefits tenfold. It was rigorous, enriching and infinitely beneficial. I'd definitely recommend it.
And that's all I have to say about that.