238 ■ III: ROLE FUNCTIONS OF DOCTORAL ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE
behavior from all circles” (Sveinsdottir et al., 2006). Role strain is a state of emotional arousal
when an individual experiences role- related stress events, whereas role stress is external
to the person in the role and results from societal demands. Role strain is conceptualized
as one’s perceived difficulty or angst in fulfilling role obligations. For example, a new
DNP- prepared nurse executive who is unable to fulfill his or her obligations as defined
by the chief executive officer (CEO) would experience role strain. The role expectations
may be beyond what he or she is able to achieve or the CEO may push him to the limits
of his abilities. It must be noted that role stress has not been differentiated from role strain
in previous nursing studies, causing confusion as to whether results reflected perceptions
external to the individual or internal responses over stressful events (Chen et al., 2007).
Role strain is in contrast to role conflict , where tension is felt between two or more,
competing roles. Role conflict results when an individual encounters tensions as the
result of incompatible roles. For instance, a mother who is employed full time as a DNP-
prepared faculty member may experience role conflict because of the norms that are
associated with the two roles she has. She may be expected to spend a great deal of
time taking care of her children while simultaneously trying to advance her career as a
teacher, scholar, clinician, and university citizen (Macionis, 2006).
Role ambiguity is defined as the lack of clarity related to one’s position or role.
A metasynthesis study by Jones in 2005 reviewed 14 relevant studies on role develop-
ment and advanced practice nurses in the United States and the United Kingdom. Jones
(2005) suggested that when advanced nursing roles were first introduced, clear role defi-
nitions and objectives needed to be developed and communicated to relevant key per-
sonnel to reduce role ambiguity. Interprofessional relationships and role ambiguity were
the most important factors that enhanced or hindered performance. Variability of DNP
academic programs in terms of quality, length, rigor, and competencies also contribute to
role ambiguity (Udlis & Mancuso, 2012). So, when one considers the various sociopolit-
ical issues that presently face new DAPRNs, given the relative newness of the role, they
will confront an array of reactions and situations. For the purposes of this chapter, the
term role strain is used as an umbrella term to discuss the perceived difficulty or angst in
fulfilling role obligations experienced by DNP- prepared nurses for a variety of reasons.
In terms of role strain, organizational engagement efforts certainly play a key role in
long- term solutions in the workplace. Engagement efforts require promoting job– person fit
by matching individual and organizational profiles with six domains of work life: sustain-
able workload; feelings of choice and control; appropriate recognition and reward; support-
ive work community; fairness and justice; and meaningful and valued work (Shirey, 2006).
Furthermore, the role for the DAPRN, irrespective of whether the individual is a nurse prac-
titioner, midwife, anesthetist or clinical nurse specialist, clinical executive, or nurse educa-
tor, will demand a significant amount of the individual’s time and attention. When one
considers the multiple competing roles of the DAPRNs today (e.g., mother, father, caregiver,
spouse or partner, professional, scholar, citizen), there are many demands for the DAPRNs’
time in this fast- paced chaotic culture. The authors would be remiss if they failed to address
the multiple roles of the DAPRN outside of his or her professional role, which can place
great demands on the individual’s time as well as serve as a great source of stress as the
DAPRN attempts to achieve life balance and fulfill many competing demands.
■ DNP ROLE DESCRIPTIONS
In the workplace, DAPRNs (practitioners, clinical executives, or nurse educators) expe-
rience role strain for different reasons based on their respective roles. The following sec-
tions provide a descriptive overview of the prospective role strain for each role.