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Doctorate Of Nurse Practitioner Article Review

DNP Meleis, A.I., & Dracup, K. (2005). The case against the DNP: History, timing, substance, and marginalization. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 10(3), 1-8.

Ever since the establishment of nursing as a distinct profession, nurses have worked hard and long to make a case that they are healthcare professionals who have a unique contribution to make to the field of medicine. Nurses are not merely the helpmates of doctors -- they offer their own distinct brand of caritas to patients. One component of the effort in garnering respect for nurses has been the effort to institutionalize nursing theory at an advanced level in academia....

To expand the potential for nurses to gain advanced certification, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is currently offered at many academic institutions. However, according to Meleis & Dracup (2005), nursing is ultimately about performing in the field, and it can be detrimental to separate nursing theory from nursing practice. In fact, the authors argue that the creation of the DNP actually conspires against the goal for nurses to gain respect within the academy, and feel that the current, doctoral-level degrees as more appropriate venues to do so. There are already a number of advanced degrees that fulfill the goals of enabling nurses to conduct…

Sources used in this document:
Meleis, A.I., & Dracup, K. (2005). The case against the DNP: History, timing, substance, and marginalization. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 10(3), 1-8.

Ever since the establishment of nursing as a distinct profession, nurses have worked hard and long to make a case that they are healthcare professionals who have a unique contribution to make to the field of medicine. Nurses are not merely the helpmates of doctors -- they offer their own distinct brand of caritas to patients. One component of the effort in garnering respect for nurses has been the effort to institutionalize nursing theory at an advanced level in academia. To expand the potential for nurses to gain advanced certification, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is currently offered at many academic institutions. However, according to Meleis & Dracup (2005), nursing is ultimately about performing in the field, and it can be detrimental to separate nursing theory from nursing practice. In fact, the authors argue that the creation of the DNP actually conspires against the goal for nurses to gain respect within the academy, and feel that the current, doctoral-level degrees as more appropriate venues to do so. There are already a number of advanced degrees that fulfill the goals of enabling nurses to conduct academic research about their profession: Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS or DNSc) degree, the Doctor of Science in Nursing (DSN) degree, the Doctor of Education (EdD) degree, and the Nursing Doctorate (ND). Having a professional degree other than the PhD merely confuses how to evaluate nurses' current credentials. These degrees also strive to marry theory to practice, while the DNP strives to create a division between the two, by focusing on practice.

The authors also feel that there are more important debates within the profession other than the need to generate new degrees, and a candidate should either elect to get a master's degree or advanced to the PhD track, rather than linger in some nebulous 'in-between' zone. The authors are persuasive in their statement that although initially there may not seem to be any harm in getting a degree for a degree's sake, given the finite resources that exist on a university level (and in terms of prospective candidate's time and financial resources), the case for the additional value of the degree must be made to justify its existence. The DNP also seems to suggest, contrary to what is taught by most nursing theorists, that there is a divide between work in the field and work in the academy.
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