572 ■ III: ROLE FUNCTIONS OF DOCTORAL ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE
practice initiatives, by refining compensation models for these faculty members. In addi-
tion to incorporating practice hours into the faculty workload, compensation for practice
activities should be consistent with the market salaries for other practitioners in the region.
The role of clinical scholar or nurse scientist is probably the most controversial for
doctoral advanced practice nurses. For decades, many nurses have been instrumental
members of clinical research teams, especially in teams conducting pharmaceutical and
medical device trials. Unfortunately, these study coordinators are rarely given high-
level decision- making authority, nor are they usually given substantive credit or com-
pensation in the dissemination of patents or other products of those studies. Formal and
specific doctoral preparation will help to legitimize this important nursing role. The role
of the DNP- prepared clinical scholar is innovative and fills an important niche in health-
oriented research, development, and scholarship.
Dreher and Smith Glasgow raise additional questions that merit discussion.
Should the profession create DNP to PhD programs and/ or imbed more research con-
tent and skills in the DNP degree to better prepare nurse educators? We have recently
seen both of these trends evolve in the state of Alabama. My response is not either/
or; but yes and yes. The authors also question whether DNP- prepared educators and
scholars will achieve tenure in the academy. The answers to these questions may also be
embedded in Christensen’s notion of “disruptive innovation.” Early in the DNP move-
ment, the most common response to these questions was “No.” Similarly, 20 years ago,
most nursing faculty responded “No,” when asked whether nursing courses could be
taught effectively online. Time changes things. As Christensen would say, when the dis-
ruptive DNP innovation moves up market it will displace the established competitors.
Or in this case, it will gain the respect of the new majority rather than be inhibited by
those who cling to traditional models of nursing practice, education, and research.
Health care and education are changing rapidly. Nursing educators and practitio-
ners must keep an open mind and search for new solutions to keep pace and succeed
in such dynamic environments. The potential for success in education, scholarship, and
the tenure process may be influenced more by individual intellect, talent, and persist-
ence than the type of doctoral program, if all candidates are given equal consideration
and opportunities. I encourage DNP students and graduates to go forth, select programs
that provide optimal preparation for the future, lead clinical innovations, and document
the evidence to show the world the important contributions of DNP- prepared nurses.
I also challenge established nursing leaders to reframe our traditional definitions of sig-
nificance, productivity, and effectiveness to embrace and support these “disruptive” yet
progressive practitioners, clinical executives, educators, and clinical scholars.
■ REFERENCES
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2006). Essentials of doctoral education for advanced
nursing practice. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/dnp/Essentials.pdf
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2015). Leading excellence and innovation in academic nurs-
ing: 2015 annual report. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/AnnualReport15
.pdf
Florczak, K. L. (2010). Research and the doctor of nursing practice: A cause for consternation. Nursing
Science Quarterly , 23 (1), 13–17.
Institute of Medicine. (2010). A summary of the February 2010 forum on the future of nursing education.
Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Meleis, A., & Dracup, K. (2005). The case against the DNP: History, timing, substance, and margin-
alization. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 10 (3). Retrieved from http://www.nursing-
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