23: REFLECTIVE RESPONSE 2 ■ 525have found the DNP had just that and were taught by doctorate in education (EdD)-
prepared faculty. Formal preparation in curriculum development, educational theory,
testing evaluation, and educational practicums were all part of the DNP educational
track preparation. Yet, the research courses were taught by the PhD research-intense fac-
ulty, lending me their expertise in the gamut of qualitative of quantitative approaches.
I have often felt in the nursing profession that we complicate matters that really
are quite simple at the core of their being. Who should teach in a DNP program is one
such example. As a doctorally prepared NP that does not quite fit the mold of the PhD
or DNP, I find myself almost an outsider looking in despite being in the blend of it
all. Perhaps, what we need to concentrate on is not the degree one was conferred but
rather the expertise of the faculty member on the particular subject matter being asked
to teach. I agree with Dr. Bellini’s question: “Why then, is a PhD graduate considered
academically and experientially qualified to lead a practice-focused degree program
when they do not possess that kind of educational background themselves?”
The majority of DNP programs continue to be guided by faculty without DNP
credentials as we see a surge in the number of DNP offerings throughout the United
States. What appears to be archaic in many schools is the infrastructure of the university
rank and tenure constraints. There are also many institutions that are heavily survived
by PhD-prepared faculty. Quite frankly, this seems to have become a “turf war” in a time
when we have the largest numbers of doctorally prepared nurses entering the work-
force and a nation in crisis over health care options. The majority of advanced practice
nurse would say this is our time to make gains in the health care arena. Sadly, for those
of us in academe we are also endeavoring to forge ahead in our own academic institu-
tions, immobilized often by our own colleagues.
It was disheartening to learn that the university that granted me a DNP did not
value me to be more than the equivalent of a middle manager. I was deemed qualified to
educate MSN students, direct an NP program, maintain a clinical practice, but discour-
aged from any clinically based research and flatly informed that DNPs were not tenure
worthy at my alma mater. To suggest that a non-PhD-prepared nurse is not a candidate
for tenure, or for that matter to be considered into promotion for leadership and admin-
istrative roles at the same pace as a PhD, is troubling. For if that logic holds true then
countless EdD-prepared colleagues should be some of the first to hold tenured positions
as frequently they are the most prepared to perform the academic calling of professor.
As faculty and advanced practice nurses, we must be clear about what is and
what is not a DNP. We have several organizations, such as the National Organization
of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), who have helped define the DNP yet, we still
struggle when implementing DNP curriculum and pedagogy. NONPF has been a key
driver in the practice doctorate movement since its inception (American Association of
Colleges of Nursing, 2015; NONPF, 2002a; NONPF, 2002b; NONPF, 2005; NONPF, 2014;
O’Sullivan, & Carter, Marion, Pohl, & Werner, 2005) and is currently working diligently
to transition to a seamless, integrated curriculum for BSN-DNP programs throughout
the country. We tussle with what DNP scholarly work should consist of, what commit-
tee member involvement entails, and what course content should be in the DNP curric-
ulum, especially as we transition to the BSN-to-DNP structure. A DNP is not a PhD: It
embraces its own tenets matching the advanced practice nurses’ (APNs’) necessities.
A DNP-prepared nurse serves an important role in an ever-changing health care envi-
ronment. Who better to appreciate the significance of the degree than the faculty who
still practice as APNs? As described by the AACN’s Task Force on the Implementation
of the DNP “the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is widely recognized as one of the
discipline’s two terminal degrees and the preferred pathway for those seeking prepara-
tion at the highest level of nursing practice” (2015). The AACN’s white paper also asks