EDUCATIONAL INNOVATIONS IN RESHAPING THE NURSING WORKFORCE
In 2021, there were approximately 7700 PhD-prepared nurses and nearly 50 000 DNP-prepared nurses out of more than 4 million nurses nationwide.1 That equates to less than 2% of all nurses in the country. As health care systems become more complex than ever, and patients are sicker, it is critical that DNP and PhD nurses work together as partners to ultimately improve patient outcomes. While PhD nurses conduct research, the DNP nurses can translate that research to practice. Working together and clearly understanding the differences in preparation are important. When I graduated with my DNP degree in 2008, the degree was somewhat controversial. At my first DNP conference in 2008, I was only one of few non-advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in attendance. There were several articles that were published in those early years questioning the value of the degree. Today, professional organizations such as the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) have endorsed the DNP as the entry to practice by 2025. Other APRN groups such as the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) have chosen a date of 2030 for the implementation, and the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) does not endorse the proposal that a DNP degree become the entry to practice requirement at this time. You may be asking, what does this information have to do with the nurse executive, and do we have a governing body or professional organization that would endorse or recommend a doctoral degree to be in a CNO (chief nursing officer) role? More and more CNOs have their doctorate degree, and I have seen many job postings read: Master's required, doctoral degree in nursing preferred. As I glanced at the list of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership's (AONL) board, 11 out of the 16 board members hold a DNP degree. There is a good possibility that leadership positions will strongly recommend the DNP. We need PhD nurses to generate foundational research and DNP nurses to take the lead in implementing such research as managers, directors, and executives.2
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing's (AACN's) membership endorsed new Essentials in April 2021. Academic nursing is moving toward a new model and framework for nursing education using a competency-based approach.3 Our practice partners play an important role in helping academia reshape curriculum for the future. Change is apparent, and partnerships are so important. Welch and Smith contributed to this issue of Nursing Administration Quarterly (NAQ), helping the reader with the new terminology introduced by the AACN for future nursing education and curricula. In a nutshell, academia and practice are changing rapidly and managing these changes requires well-honed change management skills.
As we move past the chaos and turmoil that impacted health care over the last 2 years, we all hope to take lessons learned and apply them to how we operate now. We need to know about programs that worked, partnerships that were developed, the impact on practice on academia, and workforce development. As author, Mary Lynne Knighten states, "Innovative education is needed to prepare learners to promote health equity, reduce health inequities, and foster interprofessional care teams to improve the health and well-being of the population." This issue of NAQ is dedicated to educational innovations in reshaping the nursing workforce. Guest editors Christine Delucas and Amy Nichols secured several excellent articles for this issue from leaders in both academia and practice settings. These include academic-practice partnerships; advancing health equity in nursing academia and practice; social determinants of health; the use of nurse navigators to improve population health; and a deliberate thread of diversity, equity, inclusion, and civility throughout the issue. You will also read about innovative programs to promote health equity from New Mexico and New York. Our Finance Matters column focuses on an evidence-based business case, and, finally, our book reviewer Betty Falter reviews Kathy Malloch and Tim Porter-O'Grady's latest book, Appreciative Leadership ... Building Sustainable Partnerships for Health.
Enjoy the issue, and thank you for all you do for nursing, our patients, and our communities.
-KT Waxman, DNP, MBA, RN, CNL, CHSE, CENP, FSSH, FAONL, FAAN
Editor-in-Chief
Nursing Administration Quarterly
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