DNP Role Development for Doctoral Advanced Nursing Practice, Second Edition

10: ROLE STRAIN IN THE DAPRN ■ 249

community, and public, or else the forces of role strain may occur or persist. Health care
reform and other market forces will also drive the need for the DNP going forward as
we see a growing need for innovation and evidence to improve care. The role of the
DNP- prepared faculty member in the academy will need to be closely examined and
evaluated. A very small cadre of DNP- prepared faculty are seeking the PhD as they
have become more interested in nursing science and the generation of new knowledge.
Given decrease in PhD students nationally, PhD- prepared faculty retirements, the exist-
ing nursing faculty shortage, and current work- life issues, the U.S. doctoral nursing fac-
ulty may need to revise DNP curricula to meet the needs of the academy. Time will tell.

■ CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

1. Please address factors that may contribute to role ambiguity and role stress.


2. How does variability in DNP programs contribute to role ambiguity specifically? Should
   there be standardization?


3. Discuss how job fit is a key factor in organizational engagement.


4. Discuss the multiple competing roles of the DNP graduate.


5. Discuss the role strain experienced by the DAPRN.


6. Discuss the role strain experienced by the DNP executive.


7. Discuss the role strain experienced by the DNP educator.


8. How can the results of this study, “The Experiences of DNPs in Their Current Professional
   Positions: An Updated and Current View,” assist new DNP graduates in acclimating to
   their new roles? What can the profession learn from the informants’ experiences?


9. How can DNP graduates differentiate themselves from MSN graduates in their roles?


10. How will health care reform and other market forces impact the role of the DNP- prepared
    nurse in his or her respective roles?

■ REFERENCES

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2006). The essentials of doctoral education for advanced nurs-
ing practice. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/DNP/pdf/Essentials.pdf
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2009). Fact sheet: The doctor of nursing practice (DNP).
Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/dnp.htm
Auerbach, D. I., Martsolf, G., Pearson, M. L., Taylor, E. A., Zaydman, M., Muchow, A.,...
Dower, C. (2014). The DNP by 2015: A study of the institutional, political, and professional issues that
facilitate or impede establishing a post-baccalaureate doctor of nursing practice program. Santa Monica,
CA: RAND Health.
Barritt, L., Beekman, T., Bleeker, H., & Mulderij, K. (1984). Analyzing phenomenological descriptions.
Phenomenology and Pedagogy, 2 (1), 1–17.
Benner, P., Sutphen, M., Leonard, V., & Day, L. (2009). Educating nurses: A call for radical transformation.
Stanford, CA: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Bowen, G. (2008). Naturalistic inquiry and the saturation concept: A research note. Qualitative Research,
8 (1), 137–152.
Chen, Y., Chen, S. H., Tsai, C. Y., & Lo, L. Y. (2007). Role stress and job satisfaction for nurse specialists.
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 59 (5), 497–509.
Cohen, M. Z. (1995). The experience of surgery: Phenomenological clinical nursing research. In
A. Omery, C. Kasper, & G. Page (Eds.), In search of nursing science (pp. 159–174). Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage.
Dreher, H. M., Smith Glasgow, M. E., Cornelius, F., & Bhattacharya, A. (2012). A report on a national
study of doctoral nursing faculty. Nursing Clinics of North America, 47 (4), 435–453.