573chapter TWENTY-FIVE
Refl ective Response 2
Margaret Slota
Dreher and Smith Glasgow note that although the doctor of nursing practice (DNP)
degree was originally considered a disruptive innovation and has a significant increase
in the number of graduates in recent years, “ten years later, this vision for the DNP
has not been realized... the impact is not as quantifiable.” Our essential challenge in
DNP academic education is to identify and measure outcomes, which differentiate
the practice of nurses in advanced nursing roles prepared at the master’s degree level
compared to those educated at the doctoral level. Exploring the future and unlimited
possibilities for innovative DNP roles requires that we quantify the DNP students’ or
doctorally prepared nurses’ impact on practice. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) rec-
ommended doubling the number of doctoral prepared nurses in the United States by
2020 (IOM, 2010). Although the number of DNP programs and enrollment has substan-
tially increased, PhD program enrollment has been maintained. (American Association
of Colleges of Nurses [AACN], 2015). As nurse scientists/ researchers generate knowl-
edge, DNP graduates in their respective roles as practitioners, executives, faculty, and
to- be- determined innovative roles are needed as leaders in facilitating the translation of
research into “safe, high- quality, and cost- effective care” (Redman, Pressler, Furspan, &
Potempa, 2015; Smeltzer et al., 2015). It is essential that academic faculty facilitate transform-
ative education and continued development of nursing science in order to help students develop
creative clinical reasoning to expand the roles and impact of DNP scholars. Transformative
learning is key in differentiating doctoral level practice.
The authors’ comment that there is “uneven quality and rigor in DNP programs”
is very concerning and, as such, may derail efforts to promote acceptance of the DNP
graduate as a scholar, capable of contributing evidence to continued growth and trans-
lation of nursing science. DNP academic administrators have a responsibility to ensure
that transformative learning occurs during DNP education, so that students develop
skill in scholarly activities, and quality and rigor are supported throughout the aca-
demic program.
DNP graduates exit doctoral education as scholar- practitioners (McClintock,
2004a, 2004b). Their education needs to be grounded in theory and research evidence
to inform their practice and encourage initiative. If they study with a community of
scholars and select topics congruent with their own interest and values, they gain the
ability to solve problems creatively and to disseminate their findings and innovative