9: CLINICAL SCHOLAR ROLE ■ 221The DNP Essentials (AACN, 2006) articulate the competence of the graduate in
terms of clinical scholarship. Graduates of the program are trained to use analytic meth-
ods to determine and implement the best evidence for practice. They do so in order to
design and implement processes to evaluate outcomes of practice, practice patterns,
and systems of care against national benchmarks to determine variances in practice
outcomes and population trends. In addition, they design, direct, and evaluate quality
improvement methodologies and apply relevant findings to develop practice guide-
lines and improve practice and the practice environment. They are trained in the use
of information technology and research methods to accomplish these. The DNP clin-
ical scholar functions as a practice specialist/ consultant in collaborative knowledge-
generating research, and disseminates findings from evidence- based practice and
research to improve health care outcomes (AACN, 2006).
■ HOW IS EXPERTISE IN THE USE OF EVIDENCE- BASED
PRACTICE ACHIEVED?
In practice, the utilization of research evidence does not occur in vacuum. Multiple
contextual factors influence the diffusion of practices that carry the weight of evidence
borne of scientific inquiry. Funk, Tornquist, and Champagne (1995) identified four cat-
egories of barriers perceived by nurses to the utilization of research in clinical prac-
tice: those related to nurses’ research values and skills, those related to limitations in
the setting, those related to how the research is communicated, and those related to the
quality of the research itself. The DNP role’s impact on facilitating evidence- based prac-
tice needs to be conceived as that of successfully overcoming those barriers. Because
DNP competencies are formulated at a higher level with more emphasis on leadership,
quality improvement, health care delivery systems, and health care policy, the DNP-
prepared nurse will be expected to provide leadership in creating working environ-
ments for evidence- based practice, with the expectation necessitating a certain level of
skills and competency in translating science into practice.
In terms of nurses’ research values and skills, the DNP nurse can become a role
model for change and transformation not only for the workplace environment, but also
for the individual nurses working in that environment. This can occur at two levels
by: (a) increasing the nurse’s confidence in evaluating the quality of the research evi-
dence and (b) changing perceptions regarding the benefits of changing practice with
the use of research evidence. The nurse leader who is prepared at the doctoral level
can actively participate in formal or informal discussions on evaluating interventions
reported in the research literature using the opportunity to increase nurses’ knowledge
and ability to evaluate research findings more wisely and logically. By taking on the role
of an innovator, as an early adopter, the DNP nurse can create the climate for chang-
ing perceptions to one of increased respect and value for the scientific process and its
outcomes.
As a leader in clinical practice, the DNP nurse can overcome limitations within
the setting for practice. By allowing implementation of innovations through active
support and provision of the needed structure and processes, the DNP administrator
brings authority and accountability in facilitating the workplace environment for these
innovations. This includes focusing on overcoming the limitations in how research
is communicated. By providing the resources needed for the nurses and health care
team to develop skills in reading, understanding, and evaluating research reports accu-
rately and efficiently, the DNP administrator can promote, sustain, and maintain the