10: ROLE STRAIN IN THE DAPRN ■ 241degree prepares graduates to assume these responsibilities. Multiple areas of confusion
continue to exist concerning the role of the DNP- prepared faculty member with respect
to faculty scholarly and practice expectations, academic leadership potential, and ten-
ure that need to be clarified.
■ A SUMMARY OF THE 2011 FINDINGS: “THE EXPERIENCES
OF DNPs IN THEIR CURRENT PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS”
The original qualitative study sought to understand the experiences of DNP- prepared
nurses who held faculty, advanced practice, or executive positions in nursing by con-
ducting a study on the lived experience of the DNP in his or her new professional role.
There were nine informants who were interviewed for this original study. There were
eight women and one man. The ages ranged from 38 to 64 years, with the median age
being 49 years. The majority of informants ( n = 7) were from Pennsylvania and the
remainder ( n = 2) from New Jersey. All the informants identified their culture or race as
White with five more specifically identifying themselves as either Italian American or
one Polish American. All the informants received DNP degrees and all started as post-
master’s students. The length of the doctoral program varied from 1.5 years to 4 years,
with the average length of time being 2.8 years. The focus of the DNP program for the
informants included five with a focus in nursing education, three in advanced practice,
and one in clinical research. The major focus of the current job of the informants was one
nurse- midwife, three nurse practitioners, one nurse executive, three nurse educators,
and one in a dual role of nurse practitioner and nurse educator. The focus of the analysis
was on both description and interpretation of the phenomena of interest. Three major
themes emerged from the study: (a) Context of the DNP Role ; (b) Feelings of Confidence and
Empowerment in the Role as a DNP; and (c) Finding My Way by Finding and Responding to
Opportunity.
The informants’ confidence and sense of empowerment was refreshing and very
much needed to effect change, as well as being consistent with the AACN’s vision for
the degree (AACN, 2006). They were enthusiastic about their advanced knowledge
and wanted to apply that knowledge in their respective roles. However, many of them
experienced role strain as they reported a lack of clarity and angst related to their new
position or role. This phenomenon was consistent with the findings by Jones (2005) that
clear role definitions need to be developed for new roles and communicated to all stake-
holders over time to reduce role ambiguity and/ or strain.
When the researchers reflected on the findings in this study, the experiences of
some DNP graduates were not necessarily surprising in lieu of nursing’s history. DNP
graduates employed in advanced nursing practice roles have expressed concern that
in some cases, the work environment is not always accepting of the DNP especially
in advanced practice settings. From our history, we know that nursing practice, and
to some degree education, has been slow to recognize or come to terms with the dis-
tinct differences of the associate degree (AD)- level graduate versus the baccalaureate
(bachelor of science in nursing [BSN])- level graduate (Moltz, 2010). Many DAPRN’s
role and expectations were no different than that of the master’s- level advanced prac-
tice nurse’s role and expectations. One hopes that the lack of differentiation in practice
roles in the clinical arena may be due to the “relative newness” of the degree; however,
it may also be due to the similarities in the scope of practice of the two degrees or, sadly,
an anti- intellectual mentality or propensity for professional jealousy that exist for some
in the profession. If the practice arena does not distinguish the role, competencies, and