Doctoral degree to become an NP???

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The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is calling for the requirement of doctorate in nursing for advanced practice nurses, such as nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse anesthetists. This new degree will be called a Doctor of Nursing Practice and, if the AACN has its way, will become the entry level for advanced nursing practice.

AACN Position Statement on the Practice Doctorate in Nursing

Specializes in FNP.

I'm not seeing any evidence of this, either in existing programs, or the ANCC guidelines. There's very little in the added DNP content that's aimed at direct patient care, other than the added clinical hours. (Which is why I don't "get" all the talk about special certification, or expanded scope of practice).

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

Just thought I'd post AANP's response to the Wall Street Journal article on the DNP: http://www.aanp.org/NR/rdonlyres/en57bdkq3kff4kgxpdphx7ua2ltvg47kbn2wdewkop2me4jhcjhy3bajvsso7jhuzsnvqybbnhmskqulffvsoacdf2g/wsj+letter0408.pdf

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Good letter!

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Thanks for posting the letter. The AANP's response is exactly how I feel NPs should respond. Wasn't Dr. Mundinger program orginally DrNP and not DNP? Reserve this "new" medical exam for the DrNP from her NY program. Leave the rest of the NPs (MS or DNP) alone.

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Let's learn the lesson of the CRNA experience with pain in Louisiana. If you push hard enough, the MD's will push back. After a few legal challenges, CRNA's are legally banned from doing pain in that state. If DNP proclamations anger enough or the wrong MD's, all advanced practice nursing may fall under the board of medicine in the future. Let's not kid anyone. Everyone knows that NP's and DNP's practice medicine and nursing would have a difficult time convincing a court otherwise.

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Let's learn the lesson of the CNRA's doing pain in Lousiana. If you push hard enough, the MD's will push back. If you anger enough or the wrong MD's with the DNP claims, all of advanced practice nursing may fall under the boards of medicine in the future. If you didn't already know, CRNA's in Lousiana are by court order banned from doing pain. Let's not kid anyone. Everyone knows that NP's and DNP's practice medicine and it is doubtful that nursing would be able to convince a court otherwise.

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Specializes in ED, Cardiac-step down, tele, med surg.

NPs do not have to bow and scrape to MDs, nor does any other health care professional. If MDs were the only ones to diagnose and treat disease, the health care system would collapse.

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NPs do not have to bow and scrape to MDs, nor does any other health care professional. If MDs were the only ones to diagnose and treat disease, the health care system would collapse.

It's very easy, and very satisfying, to say that, but the reality is that the physician community has a lot of clout in this country and exercises a lot of control over what other healthcare practitioners are and aren't allowed to do.

I notice your profile says that you are a student, so perhaps you're not aware of this reality in healthcare. However, there are plenty of us here who have actually participated in efforts in our states to get increased practice privileges for advanced practice nurses, and it's basically a competition between the nursing community and the medical community to see which one can more effectively and successfully lobby the state legislature -- and the typical state legislator is much more impressed by physicians than by nurses.

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Kind of a silly question...

I know NPs who have their doctorate -- does this mean that when patients go to the office for their annual check-up they will be seeing either Dr. Brown (MD) or Dr. Smith (DNP)?

I wonder if this will cause any confusion. :-P I love NPs (and have literally NEVER been seen by my PCP -- only the 2 NPs in his office) and being one is my long-term goal, but I just had this thought... which could have good and bad points. Patients could confuse the two (not terrible but a slight difference none the less), and then again, it would eliminate having to correct them from calling you "Dr. Smith" instead of "Chris," ending the 10 minute discussion about what an NP is and why you are able to see them in place of the MD.

Just a thought.

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does anyone know the payscale for a dnp compared to a arnp

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Specializes in ED, Cardiac-step down, tele, med surg.
It's very easy, and very satisfying, to say that, but the reality is that the physician community has a lot of clout in this country and exercises a lot of control over what other healthcare practitioners are and aren't allowed to do.

I notice your profile says that you are a student, so perhaps you're not aware of this reality in healthcare. However, there are plenty of us here who have actually participated in efforts in our states to get increased practice privileges for advanced practice nurses, and it's basically a competition between the nursing community and the medical community to see which one can more effectively and successfully lobby the state legislature -- and the typical state legislator is much more impressed by physicians than by nurses.

I'm aware of the clout the medical profession has. I've recently had a negative experience with a physician in my recent clinical rotation. I mentioned an abnormal value of my patient, and the physician grilled me about pathophysiology for about 20 minutes. And it was kind of like gestapo interrogation. In the end the physician said he was trying to use 'socratic' questioning to facilitate my learning, but all the interrogation did was make me uncomfortable and it sent a message to me that physicians don't want to be bothered. I thought that he would be glad that I noticed the abnormal value and since I was a student would be willing to explain his rational as to why we should ignore it, but instead he took a very antagonistic tone. It made me re evaluate my decision to go into nursing, because I have the science background to go into medicine if I want to. I also felt a little disappointed with the medical profession as a whole, because as I found out, that kind of antagonistic attitude is not uncommon. But I strongly feel that other we need to stand up to the medical profession for it's own evolution, and as one revolutionary said "I'd rather die on my feet than spend a life on my knees."

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Specializes in ED, Cardiac-step down, tele, med surg.

It's good to note and should be fairly obvious that a PhD can be referred to as doctor so and so and anyone with a four year doctoral degree can also be referred to as doctor. Like a pharm D would be doctor, etc. Physicians don't have the sole use of the term doctor. So in the sense that the DNP can actually clarify that to people that when you say "doctor X" you are referring to the 4 years of training. If I'm wrong on the meaning of doctor w/r/t M.D, versus PhD doctor, etc, please clarify. I'm not advocating for the DNP, but would be a strong advocate if it included a more in depth science curriculum and expanded scope of practice, but I digress...

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