DNP application....essay question

[CardioTrans, BSN, RN]

Hi all,

I was wondering if someone could help me brainstorm with writing some essays for my DNP application. They are requiring three essays.

1: How the DNP and PhD differ. Well, that one is a given....

2: Educational and professional goals, short and long term, and how the DNP will help you reach the goals.

3: Describe your current practice system and recent issues or problems in that system that you might be interested in pursuing for your project.

I have read over and over again about the "project". It is a three semester class and is a synthesis project.

They have referred to the DNP Essentials on the AACN website. Each has to be a separate essay and max of 500 words.

Any ideas?

[llg, PhD, RN]

You have to start with the basic truth. For the 2nd question, start by stating your basic goals: anything else will sound fake. After stating your actual goals, then discuss how the DNP program will help you achieve those goals. Don't start trying to write the final version right away. Start by simply jotting down ideas and build/refine from there.

For the 3rd question, take a similar approach. Begin by jotting down your thoughts and then work from there. Describe your work setting. What are the issues and problems that you see in that setting? Are there any issues/problems that you might want to work on through your academic program? As a DNP student, you are going to have to do a major project -- and they are looking to see whether or not you are prepared to take on such a big project. When you look around at your world, do you see the types of problems that might lend themselves to being solved through such a project? Which topics interest you the most? They are asking you to show that you can assess your environment and identify the types of problems that you would be interested in working on.

Good luck.

[DNP_OR]

Listen to your heart and why you want to get an advanced degree. Then use your head to put that into words that tell why you and why now. Don't try to be anyone other than YOU are. Have a good friend or collegue read your essays and give you some feedback on them. That is the easy part! Waiting for the admission response is the real killer. Good luck.

[CardioTrans, BSN, RN]

Thanks llg and DNP_OR for your replies!

I have been working on the difference between PhD and DNP.... I started by writing things down as they came to me and as I found things.... then started writiing some of the body. The intro and conclusion will be the last thing........

I figured I would do that one first, then the one about goals. That way I could incorporate some of the information from the first one into it.

I did talk to a friend of mine last night who is a well respected physician who is published in many medical journals, a professor at the med school, and who does lectures all over the country who has agreed to critique them for me when I finish. He said that he would also be happy to write a recommendation letter for me.

Now I just have to finish them! Guess I will take my day off work and do that.

Thanks again for the replies!