AACN Essentials & DNP Program Outcomes

Posted: September 20th, 2023

AACN Essentials & DNP Program Outcomes

Instructions

For this assignment you will review the DNP Essentials (FIND THEM ATTACHED), and write a scholarly paper that identifies DNP competencies that are essential to advanced nursing practice. You will identify three DNP essentials that you consider to be priority competencies for the DNP prepared nurse working in your practice setting.

Content to include in the paper

· A summary of each essential selected

· A description of the practice setting and why the selected essentials are priority for this setting.

· An example demonstrating the application of each essential in the practice setting and how the selected essentials will support a change at the system level

· How will the DNP competencies help the DNP-prepared health outcomes of the population in the practice

· Analyze the skills essential for the DNP-prepared nurse to effectively collaborate with the interprofessional healthcare team.

This paper should be 5 pages in length (excluding title page and references) supported with a minimum of six scholarly, peer-reviewed sources. Use APA format and citation Style. AACN Essentials & DNP Program Outcomes
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice
 Essential I: Scientific Underpinnings for Practice
The DNP degree prepares graduates to integrate nursing science with
organization, biophysical, psychological, and analytical sciences.
 Essential II: Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality
Improvement and Systems Thinking
This essential emphasizes the DNP graduate’s role in assimilating nursing
science and practice with the complex needs of humankind.
 Essential III: Clinical Scholarship and Analytical Methods for EvidenceBased Practice
This DNP essential focuses on a DNP graduates role in assuring accountability
of quality care and patient safety as well as critically examining ethical dilemmas
inherent in patient care, health care organizations, and scientific research.
 Essential IV: Information Systems/Technology and Patient Care
Technology for the Improvement and Transformation of Health Care
Deep understanding of technology places the DNP at the forefront of healthcare
delivery and equips them with the skills to participate in technological innovation,
evaluate the appropriateness of healthcare consumer information, and participate
in resulting legal and ethical issues.
 Essential V: Health Care Policy for Advocacy in Health Care
This essential focuses on critically analyzing health policy with the goal of
advocating for social justice and the nursing profession as a whole.
 Essential VI: Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and
Population Health Outcomes
This essential prepares DNP graduates to lead inter-professional teams in the
analysis of multifaceted practice and systems issues through effective
communication and collaborative skills.
 Essential VII: Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving the
Nation’s Health
School of Nursing
2
This essential also equips doctors of nursing practice with the skills to synthesize
the psychosocial dimensions and cultural impacts related to population health.
 Essential VIII: Advanced Nursing Practice
This essential focuses on conducting comprehensive needs assessments,
mentoring other nurses, and guiding patients through complex situational
transitions.

The first essential is Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Improvement and Systems Thinking. As the healthcare landscape grows increasingly complex, advanced practice nurses must be prepared to assess organizational challenges and implement evidence-based solutions to strengthen quality of care. For example, in an ambulatory clinic setting, a DNP graduate could conduct a needs assessment identifying barriers to medication adherence among patients with chronic diseases. Through collaborative leadership and quality improvement strategies, the nurse could help design and evaluate interventions to better support patients (O’Connor et al., 2020).
A second priority essential is Clinical Scholarship and Analytical Methods for Evidence-Based Practice. For the DNP to effectively translate research into practice, competency in data analysis and project design is imperative. Consider a DNP working with an interprofessional team in an academic medical center. This nurse could apply epidemiological methods to examine 30-day hospital readmission rates among older adults, identify at-risk populations, and develop targeted discharge protocols using the most current clinical guidelines (Melnyk et al., 2020).
The third essential is Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes. In today’s team-based care environment, the DNP is well-positioned to foster cooperation across disciplines and agencies. For instance, in a community health department, an advanced practice nurse may take a leadership role coordinating social and medical services for underserved groups. Through stakeholder engagement and consensus-building, the DNP can help align resources and close gaps to better serve community needs (Interprofessional Education Collaborative, 2016).
In summary, the three DNP essentials of Organizational and Systems Leadership, Clinical Scholarship, and Interprofessional Collaboration equip advanced practice nurses with the competencies necessary to assess complex practice environments, implement evidence-based strategies, and effect positive change at the organizational and population levels. These skills are integral for the DNP to evaluate and improve health outcomes through nursing practice, leadership, education, and policy. Please let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions.
Regards,
[Your Name]
O’Connor, E., Yiu, L., & Redd, N. (2020). Quality improvement strategies to enhance medication adherence in chronic disease. American journal of nursing, 120(4), 34–41. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000658037.08473.f6
Melnyk, B. M., Fineout-Overholt, E., Giggleman, M., & Cruz, R. (2010). Correlates among cognitive beliefs, EBP implementation, organizational culture, cohesion and job satisfaction in evidence-based practice mentors from a community hospital system. Nursing outlook, 58(6), 301–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2010.06.002 research essay writing service.
Interprofessional Education Collaborative. (2016). Core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice: 2016 update. Interprofessional Education Collaborative. https://www.ipecollaborative.org/uploads/IPEC-2016-Updated-Core-Competencies-Report__final_release_.PDF

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Study Bay Notes
How AACN Essentials and DNP Program Outcomes Prepare Nurses for Advanced Practice

Nurses who pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree are expected to acquire the knowledge, skills, and competencies that are essential for advanced nursing practice. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has developed a set of standards that define the curricular elements and expected outcomes of DNP programs. These standards are known as the Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (2006), or simply the DNP Essentials. The DNP Essentials outline the core competencies that are common to all advanced nursing practice roles, such as nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives. In addition, the DNP Essentials provide guidance for the design, implementation, and evaluation of DNP projects, which are scholarly endeavors that demonstrate the application of evidence-based practice to improve health outcomes.

The DNP Essentials consist of eight domains that cover the following topics:

– Scientific underpinnings for practice
– Organizational and systems leadership for quality improvement and systems thinking
– Clinical scholarship and analytical methods for evidence-based practice
– Information systems/technology and patient care technology for the improvement and transformation of health care
– Health care policy for advocacy in health care
– Interprofessional collaboration for improving patient and population health outcomes
– Clinical prevention and population health for improving the nation’s health
– Advanced nursing practice

Each domain includes specific competencies that DNP graduates should be able to demonstrate upon completion of their program. For example, some of the competencies related to the domain of scientific underpinnings for practice are:

– Integrate nursing science with knowledge from ethics, the biophysical, psychosocial, analytical, and organizational sciences as the basis for the highest level of nursing practice.
– Use science-based theories and concepts to: determine the nature and significance of health and health care delivery phenomena; describe the actions and advanced strategies to enhance, alleviate, and ameliorate health and health care delivery phenomena as appropriate; and evaluate outcomes.
– Develop and evaluate new practice approaches based on nursing theories and theories from other disciplines.

The DNP Essentials also specify the expected outcomes of DNP projects, which are:

– Design, direct, and evaluate quality improvement methodologies to promote safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered care.
– Apply relevant findings to develop practice guidelines and improve practice and the practice environment.
– Use information technology and research methods appropriately to: collect appropriate data; manage data; analyze data; apply findings; evaluate outcomes; disseminate results; identify gaps in evidence for practice; collaborate with others to advance research knowledge; translate research into practice; design evidence-based interventions; guide program planning; implement change processes; measure outcomes of interventions or programs.
– Function as a leader in interprofessional teams to promote collaboration; enhance communication; coordinate care delivery; implement organizational change; influence health policy.

By achieving these competencies and outcomes, DNP graduates are prepared to assume leadership roles in various settings, such as clinical practice, administration, education, policy, or research. They are also able to contribute to the advancement of nursing science and practice by generating new knowledge, applying evidence-based interventions, evaluating outcomes, disseminating findings, influencing policy, and collaborating with other disciplines. The DNP Essentials provide a framework for ensuring that DNP graduates are equipped with the essential skills and knowledge to meet the challenges and opportunities of advanced nursing practice in a complex and dynamic health care environment.

Works Cited

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2006). The essentials of doctoral education for advanced nursing practice. https://www.aacnnursing.org/our-initiatives/education-practice/doctor-of-nursing-practice/dnp-essentials

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Tool Kit. (n.d.). https://www.aacnnursing.org/our-initiatives/education-practice/doctor-of-nursing-practice/tool-kit

Essentials and Career Outcomes | Simmons Online. (n.d.). https://online.simmons.edu/doctorate/dnp/curriculum/essentials-and-career-outcomes/

DNP add to academics. programs website – DNP Course Mapping to DNP … (n.d.). https://nursing.ucsf.edu/sites/nursing.ucsf.edu/files/inline-files/DNP%20add%20to%20academics.%20programs%20website%20-%20DNP%20Course%

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