The Doctor of Nursing Practice: Advancing the Nursing Profession
ANA Position Statement
Revised: April 20, 2011
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a practice-focused doctoral degree to prepare nurses for advanced nursing practice roles. The DNP provides expanded knowledge through the formulation and interpretation of evidence-based practice (Chism, 2010). The DNP prepares the graduate for multiple roles including health policy development, leadership, administration, advanced clinical practice, and information technology in an environment of inter-professional collaboration. Educating the next generation of health care providers is a critical step for increasing access to quality health care and improving health care outcomes. While supportive of the DNP, the ANA continues to endorse both master’s and doctoral preparation as entry into APRN practice.
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