Week 1 Discussion
Today we live in a world where health care is at the forefront. Many people are looking towards health care professionals for hope and answers for the future. This is one reason why nurses from all backgrounds are pursuing a degree in higher education and clinical practice. When I think of obtaining a doctoral degree in nursing, I see a journey with a purpose. A nurse with a practice or research doctorate deeply holds the potential to make the greatest impact on any given specialization. From my experience, there are magnitudes of nurses who would excel in academic endeavors but merely just do not have the opportunity or life fortune. For that reason, I see experiencing the journey of pursuing a doctoral degree in nursing as a gift, as the ultimate way I can help others. Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the goal is bridging nurse scientists and researchers in collaboration to advance and pioneer the profession towards global reform, (Michael & Clochesy, 2016). The expectations of a doctoral student involve much of the same motivations required in prior academic achievements like dedication and commitment. The professional goals associated with both the DNP and PhD degrees may vastly differ, that is the beauty of learning from other nursing students. Most DNP students are driven by clinical outcomes and evidence-based practices. PhD in Nursing students often aspire to add to the nursing library and literature. In the future, we can collaborate to bridge gaps in clinical practice and nursing research. Some differences for nurses and educational paths include untraditional learning modalities, bridge-programs, access to cutting-edge technology and mere geographical influence on culture and preferred methods. As we dive further into learning about doctoral level practice and research, we may discover the ways in which we uniquely impact the medical field and the lives of everyday individuals.
Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Reference:
Michael, M.J. & Clochesy, J. M. (2016). From scientific discovery to health outcomes: A synergistic model of doctoral nursing education. Nurse Education Today, 40. 84-86.
Initial Post
Every PhD degree carries specific obligations. When people see the term ‘doctor,’ they naturally develop a sense of trust and deference. Beginning the path to a doctorate entails a great deal of responsibility to the profession, patients, community, and oneself. The long, curving route is likely to have potholes. As a result of nursing’s evolution, there are now two ways to address the growing demand for doctoral-prepared nurses. While nurses with a passion for lifelong learning contemplate their future, it is essential to comprehend how their ambitions fit with each PhD degree. The Ph.D. and DNP have distinct nursing future objectives.
A PhD in nursing focuses on research and teaching, which necessitates an emphasis on securing grants for the university (Cleary & Hunt, 2011). Research necessitates a substantial investment of time and effort, which leads to a lengthy period of time between the development of new knowledge and its application in reality. It can take several years for nurses who pursue this path to make their influence on the world. Due to the substantial time, effort, and expense required to earn a PhD, completion is also challenging (Cleary & Hunt, 2011). It is not the case
The research procedure is not for the faint of heart because it demands an enormous amount of effort. Due to this lengthy delay, the new PhD in nursing was born (Sperhac & Clinton, 2008).
The Doctor of Nursing Practice was created out of a need to improve practice and patient care rapidly. Today’s patients require better care, and nurses are expected to provide it. (Sperhac & Clinton, 2008) Nursing’s emphasis on evidence and data lends itself to an emphasis on the practice side of nursing. Integrating data and evidence-based practice lends credibility to the nurse, leading to improved patient outcomes. As the DNP has access to demands as they are identified in the clinical setting, the DNP also enables the identification and examination of more clinically-based concerns with greater speed. The DNP is expected to be innovative when applying PhD research. Additionally, nurses with a DNP can engage in research and readily implement the results. Recent climate changes have increased the urgency with which information must be applied. The COVID-19 epidemic has pushed many practitioners to their limits and opened up new avenues for research and application (The Impact of COVID-19 on the Nursing Profession in the U.S. | AONL, n.d.).
To the majority of successful nurses, nursing is more than a job. As I reflect on the trajectory of my career over the past twelve months, I never would have guessed the changes I would experience or those our world would experience. My chosen profession, nursing, is adaptable and able to accommodate the continual changes to which we have been accustomed. The year 2020 has been designated as the “Year of the Nurse,” which signifies to me the year of transformation. As a result of this transition, I reexamined my personal objectives. Given the opportunity to gather knowledge, my lifetime ambition to become the best nurse possible has motivated me to seek a terminal degree in nursing. As a former operating room nurse who became an informatics nurse, the Doctor of Nursing Practice is the appropriate degree for me, as my nursing journey has been anything from typical. Unless now, when?
I am present to seize the moment.
Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
References:
Cleary, M., and G. E. Hunt (2011). A evaluation of doctoral programs geared to meet the needs of the future generation of nursing professionals to get a PhD. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 39(2), pages 273-280.
Sperhac, A. M., and P. Clinton (2008). The Doctor of Nursing Practice: A Roadmap for Excellence
Pediatric Health Care Journal, 22(3), 146–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2007.12.015
The Effects of COVID-19 on the U.S. Nursing Profession | AONL (n.d.). 29 March 2021, retrieved from https://www.aonl.org/resources/impact-of-covid19-on-nurses
Higher education attainment has been associated with enhanced competency and knowledge within the specific field pursued by an individual. For instance, attainment of a doctoral degree is considered the highest attainment in every field, and therefore doctoral degree holders are expected to demonstrate a high degree of competence (Dos Santos & Lo, 2018). A DNP-prepared nurse is no exception and is expected of higher levels of knowledge and competency in patient care as compared to nurses without the DNP. This week’s discussion explores doctoral degrees and professional nursing practice. To accomplish the discussion, the role of a nurse with a practice doctorate and the associated expectations will be discussed. In addition, this discussion will explore how the consideration relates to my motivation to pursue a DNP and an experience with addressing practice change or gap in practice.
Role of a Nurse with a Practice Doctorate
DNP-prepared nurses have various advanced roles in the continuum of patient care. For instance, through the translation of quality improvement outcomes, and translation of evidence into clinical areas, and unique practice innovations, the DNP-prepared nurses create new knowledge (Trautman et al., 2018). The implication is that these nurses apply evidence-based research to systems and/or clinical settings for better health outcomes. They practice at the highest level of practice and formulate evidence-based strategies to optimize health and patient outcomes. In addition, DNP-prepared nurses also take executive and leadership positions in healthcare organizations to influence health policies, analyze cost-effective protocols, direct patient care, and coordinate quality improvement teams.
Expectations Associated With Obtaining DNP
DNP is the highest degree in nursing and is associated with various expectations. Those who have obtained the degree are expected to show high levels of skills in the care environment to effectively direct care and coordinate care teams. As opposed to PhDs holders who mainly focus on research, DNP is associated with improvement of patient care and population outcomes (Edwards et al., 2018). The implication is that these nurses with this degree have adequate skills for implementing evidence-based strategies to improve health outcomes for individual patients and the general population. Nurse practitioners who do not have a DNP offer specializations focusing on particular patient care aspects like a pediatric or family practitioner. This role differs from a DNP prepared nurse as they are expected to step up to more advanced roles that help shape the direction of healthcare organizations.
How The Considerations Relate to My Motivation to Pursue a DNP
Growing up, I have had a passion for seeing everyone lead a healthy life devoid of health complications. While doing my undergraduate degree, I realized that such goals cannot be achieved by solely focusing on what happens in the care environment but also what happens in the surroundings, such as policies and funding. One of my motivations to pursue a DNP is to get to executive and leadership positions where I can participate in effectively influencing healthcare policies and decisions. As such, the role of the DNP-prepared nurse resonates and relates well with my motivation. Translating research evidence into clinical practice also helps in improving patient outcomes (Trautman et al., 2018), which is among my motivations for pursuing a DNP. Indeed, with a higher degree, I believe I will accomplish such a goal more efficiently.
Among the top organization needs is to be leaders in providing improved patient care and enhance the patient experience. Improving the quality outcome to enhance patient experience requires that the healthcare organization addresses the quality gaps (Trautman et al., 2018). As such, my role as a DNP-prepared nurse will help in various ways to such effect. For instance, in assuming the leadership roles of leading and coordinating care teams, I will be able to effectively lead other nurses into a careful analysis of quality data, organizational standards, and government standards to identify gaps in practice. This will lead to a formulation of the most relevant and effective strategies to address such gaps and meet the goals. Besides, I will also be able to lead the organization into a literature search for evidence that can be translated into practice to address practice gaps or lead a practice change for patient quality improvement.
The experience I have Had With How our Organization addressed a Practice Change
Organizations usually strive to achieve the central aim of offering patient optimized and improved patient care. As such, organizations either undertake steps to implement a practice change or address a gap in practice (Yip et al., 2019). I have had experience with the implementation of practice change within an organization. In one of the healthcare organizations, I have worked. There was a year where the rates of catheter-associated urinary tract infections were growing month after month. A decision was then made to explore initiatives to deal with the threatening growing rates of infection. One of the chosen strategies was using a protocol to evaluate patients and use the indwelling catheters only when it is a must and ensuring that the time of usage of the catheters by the patients be reduced to as minimum as possible. As such, nurses accomplished a comprehensive one-week training on the protocols. After the training, the catheter use rates reduced by 20% as nurses were able to avoid unnecessary catheterization. Coupled by minimizing the duration of catheter use, the rates of infection dropped by an impressive 47% by the second month due to the practice change.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the doctoral degree prepares individuals for greater and more advanced professional roles. DNP-prepared nurses have a special role to play in the care environment, one of which is translating evidence into practice for improved patient outcomes. This week’s discussion has covered the roles of a DNP-prepared nurse, expectations associated with DNP, and an experience with a practice change implementation.
References
Dos Santos, L. M., & Lo, H. F. (2018). The Development of Doctoral Degree Curriculum in England: Perspectives from Professional Doctoral Degree Graduates. International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership, 13(6), n6. https://doi.org/10.22230/ijepl.2018v13n6a781.
Edwards, N. E., Coddington, J., Erler, C., & Kirkpatrick, J. (2018). The Impact of the Role of Doctor of Nursing PracticeNurses on Healthcare and Leadership. Medical Research Archives, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v6i4.1734
Trautman, D. E., Idzik, S., Hammersla, M., & Rosseter, R. (2018). Advancing scholarship through translational research: The role of PhD and DNP prepared nurses. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(2). DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol23No02Man02.
Yip, W., Fu, H., Chen, A. T., Zhai, T., Jian, W., Xu, R., … & Chen, W. (2019). 10 years of healthcare reform in China: progress and gaps in universal health coverage. The Lancet, 394(10204), 1192-1204. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32136-1
NURS_8000_Week1_Discussion_Rubric
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| RESPONSIVENESS TO DISCUSSION QUESTION
Discussion post minimum requirements:
*The original posting must be completed by Wednesday, Day 3, at 11:59pm MST. Two response postings to two different peer original posts, on two different days, are required by Saturday, Day 6, at 11:59pm MST. Faculty member inquiries require responses, which are not included in the minimum number of posts. Your Discussion Board postings should be written in standard edited English and follow APA style for format and grammar as closely as possible given the constraints of the online platform. Be sure to support the postings with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources as well as resources available through the Walden University online databases. Refer to the Essential Guide to APA Style for Walden Students to ensure your in-text citations and reference list are correct. |
Discussion postings and responses exceed the requirements of the Discussion instructions. They: Respond to the question being asked or the prompt provided; – Go beyond what is required in some meaningful way (e.g., the post contributes a new dimension, unearths something unanticipated); -Are substantive, reflective, with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings and current credible evidence. – Demonstrate significant ability to generalize and extend thinking and evaluate theories or concepts within the topic or context of the discussion. -Demonstrate that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning -Resources as well as additional resources and has read, viewed, or considered a sampling of colleagues’ postings; -Exceed the minimum requirements for discussion posts*.
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Discussion postings and responses meet the requirements of the Discussion instructions. They: -Respond to the question being asked or the prompt provided; -Are substantive, reflective, with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings and current credible evidence.re -Demonstrate ability to generalize and extend thinking and evaluate theories or concepts within the topic or context of the discussion. -Demonstrate that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning Resources and has read, viewed, or considered a sampling of colleagues’ postings -Meet the minimum requirements for discussion posts*.
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Discussion postings and responses are minimally responsive to the requirements of the Discussion instructions. They: – do not clearly address the objectives of the discussion or the question or prompt; and/or -May (lack) lack in depth, reflection, analysis, or synthesis but rely more on anecdotal than scholarly evidence; and/or -Do not adequately demonstrate that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning -Resources and/or a sampling of colleagues’ postings; and/or has posted by the due date at least in part. – Lack ability to generalize and extend thinking and evaluate theories or concepts within the topic or context of the discussion. -Do not meet the minimum requirements for discussion posts*.
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Discussion postings and responses are unresponsive to the requirements of the Discussion instructions. They: – do not clearly address the objectives of the discussion or the question or prompt; and/or – Lack in substance, reflection, analysis, or synthesis but rely more on anecdotal than scholarly evidence. – Lack ability to generalize and extend thinking and evaluate theories or concepts within the topic or context of the discussion. -Do not demonstrate that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning Resources and/or a sampling of colleagues’ postings; and/or does not meet the minimum requirements for discussion posts*.
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| CONTENT KNOWLEDGE |
Discussion postings and responses: -demonstrate in-depth understanding and application of concepts and issues presented in the course (e.g., insightful interpretations including analysis, synthesis and/or evaluation of topic; – are well supported by pertinent research/evidence from a variety of and multiple peer- reviewed books and journals, where appropriate; -Demonstrate significant mastery and thoughtful/accurate application of content, applicable skills or strategies presented in the course.
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Discussion postings and responses: -demonstrate understanding and application of the concepts and issues presented in the course, presented with some understanding and application of concepts and issues presented in the course (e.g., insightful interpretations including analysis, synthesis and/or evaluation of topic; -are supported by research/evidence from peer-reviewed books and journals, where appropriate; and · demonstrate some mastery and application of content, applicable skills, or strategies presented in the course.
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Discussion postings and responses: – demonstrate minimal understanding of concepts and issues presented in the course, and, although generally accurate, display some omissions and/or errors; –lack support by research/evidence and/or the research/evidence is inappropriate or marginal in quality; and/or lack of analysis, synthesis or evaluation of topic – demonstrate minimal content, skills or strategies presented in the course. ——-Contain numerous errors when using the skills or strategies presented in the course
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Discussion postings and responses demonstrate: -A lack of understanding of the concepts and issues presented in the course; and/or are inaccurate, contain many omissions and/or errors; and/or are not supported by research/evidence; and/or lack of analysis, synthesis or evaluation of topic -Many critical errors when discussing content, applicable skills or strategies presented in the course.
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| CONTRIBUTION TO THE DISCUSSION |
Discussion postings and responses significantly contribute to the quality of the discussion/interaction and thinking and learning by: -providing Rich and relevant examples; discerning and thought-provoking ideas; and stimulating thoughts and probes; – -demonstrating original thinking, new perspectives, and extensive synthesis of ideas supported by the literature.
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Discussion postings and responses contribute to the quality of the discussion/interaction and thinking and learning by -providing relevant examples; thought-provoking ideas – Demonstrating synthesis of ideas supported by the literature
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Discussion postings and responses minimally contribute to the quality of discussion/interaction and thinking and learning by: – providing few and/or irrelevant examples; and/or – providing few if any thought- provoking ideas; and/or -. Information that is restated from the literature with no/little demonstration of critical thinking or synthesis of ideas.
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Discussion postings and responses do not contribute to the quality of interaction/discussion and thinking and learning as they do not: -Provide examples (or examples are irrelevant); and/or -Include interesting thoughts or ideas; and/or – Demonstrate of critical thinking or synthesis of ideas
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| QUALITY OF WRITING |
Discussion postings and responses exceed doctoral -level writing expectations. They: · Use grammar and syntax that is clear, concise, and appropriate to doctoral level writing; · Make few if any errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; · Use original language and refrain from directly quoting original source materials; -provide correct APA · Are positive, courteous, and respectful when offering suggestions, constructive feedback, or opposing viewpoints.
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Discussion postings and responses meet doctoral -level writing expectations. They: ·Use grammar and syntax that is clear and appropriate to doctoral level writing; ; · Make a few errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; · paraphrase but refrain from directly quoting original source materials; Provide correct APA format · Are courteous and respectful when offering suggestions, constructive feedback, or opposing viewpoints;.
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Discussion postings and responses are minimally below doctoral-level writing expectations. They: · Make more than occasional errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; · Directly quote from original source materials and/or paraphrase rather than use original language; lack correct APA format; and/or · Are less than courteous and respectful when offering suggestions, feedback, or opposing viewpoints.
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Discussion postings and responses are well below doctoral -level writing expectations. They: · Use grammar and syntax that is that is unclear · Make many errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; and –use incorrect APA format · Are discourteous and disrespectful when offering suggestions, feedback, or opposing viewpoints.
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