14: LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY ■ 329leadership for quality improvement and systems thinking; (c) clinical scholarship and
analytical methods for evidence- based practice; (d) information systems/ technology
and patient care technology for the improvement and transformation of health care;
(e) health care policy for advocacy in health care; (f) interprofessional collaboration for
improving patient and population health outcomes; (g) clinical prevention and popu-
lation health for improving the nation’s health; and (h) advanced nursing practice. We
pose the following question: Should the informatics competencies be different for stu-
dents in doctoral advanced practice tracks versus students in the aggregate/ systems/
organizational tracks?
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSE ANESTHETISTS
The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) developed a task force to ex-
amine the appropriateness of the DNP degree for the nurse anesthetist. After investi-
gation, the AANA decided to support doctoral education for entry into practice for the
nurse anesthetist by the year 2025. In the AANA (2007) position statement on Doctoral
Preparation of Nurse Anesthetists , it states their rationale: “to best position Certified
Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to meet this ongoing challenge and remain rec-
ognized leaders in anesthesia care, the AANA believes it is essential to support doctor-
al education that encompasses technological and pharmaceutical advances, informatics,
evidence- based practice, systems approaches to quality improvement, health care busi-
ness models, teamwork, public relations, and other subjects that will shape the future
for anesthesia providers and their patients” (p. 1). It should be noted, however, that the
AANA was not exclusively endorsing the DNP degree, but other doctoral options for
CRNAs as well.
AMERICAN ORGANIZATION OF NURSE EXECUTIVES
The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) Nurse Executive
Competencies (AONE, 2015) addresses technology competencies within the Business
Skills Competency section under the subtitle of Information Management and
Technology (AONE, 2015). The concepts included were the following: “(a) use tech-
nology to support improvement of clinical and financial performance, (b) collaborate
to prioritize for the establishment of information technology resources, (c) participate
in evaluation of enabling technology in practice settings, (d) use data management
systems for decision making, (e) identify technological trends, issues and new devel-
opments as they apply to patient care, (f) demonstrate skills in assessing data integrity
and quality, (g) provide leadership for the adoption and implementation of informa-
tion systems” (p. 10).
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) has not specifically identified
informatics competencies as an essential component in their Discussion Paper: Doctor of
Nursing Practice (AANP, 2013). There is an implication that the APN would possess ad-
vanced skills in the roles of manager and researcher, and would effectively manage and
negotiate health care delivery systems.