374 ■ III: ROLE FUNCTIONS OF DOCTORAL ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE
However, DNPs not only need to recognize how important negotiation skills
are to their career success, but have to commit to take advantage of opportunities to
improve their skills. There are various methodologies that can be employed to achieve
this, including:
- Seeking out an effective negotiator as a mentor
- Working with a negotiation coach
- Taking a class, either in person or online
- Engaging in self- study, for instance by reading books or watching videos on
negotiation- related topics - Attending seminars
- Enrolling in a training class
- Taking a negotiation course offered by a local college or university
- Subscribing to a service that provides periodic mailings on various negotiation
topics (such as Negotiation Briefings published by the Harvard Program on
Negotiation) - Signing up for online negotiation- related blogs and newsletters
- Joining negotiation- related Linked In groups
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate my agreement with the central theme of
the chapter that negotiation is a critical competency for the DNP- prepared nurse and
something that he or she will use on a daily basis. Subpar skills have many predict-
able negative consequences, including stunting or even terminating careers, causing
difficulties in relationships, compromising one’s perceived credibility and competency,
creating unnecessary conflict, increasing the probability that a person has to remain
underappreciated and underpaid, and harming the ability to be persuasive. Nurses can
benefit personally and professionally by committing to improving their personal nego-
tiation skills, becoming aware of their current strengths and weaknesses, taking advan-
tage of opportunities to improve, and committing to regular putting these new skills
into practice. In addition to encouraging current DNPs to improve their skills, I also
strongly believe that the nursing profession could benefit greatly by including nego-
tiation coursework in the standard DNP curriculum if for no other reason than that
graduates of other programs (e.g., MBA, MHA, law schools, and master’s of medical
management programs) who will be competing for leadership roles in health care with
DNPs have already done so.
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