key: cord-1055040-ydy0ykcp
authors: nan
title: AANP Forum
date: 2020-07-06
journal: J Nurse Pract
DOI: 10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.06.002
sha: deabac52d9a5d20d369ed4376a2ac432e6da38d4
doc_id: 1055040
cord_uid: ydy0ykcp

nan

The COVID-19 pandemic has yielded unprecedented challenges for our country's health care system. There is no doubt this epidemic will shape the way care is delivered in the future. The pressing need to contain the spread of this virus has prompted vast and continuing response initiatives from Congress, federal agencies and state leaders.

As NPs continue to fight against COVID-19 and risk their safety on the front lines of this pandemic, count on AANP to provide you with convenient access to the extensive tools and resources available to assist you. The AANP COVID-19 resource page is updated on a daily basis in order to ensure you have access to the most recent and pertinent information. This includes the latest policy, practice, and clinical resources, as well as important developments impacting your safety and the safety of your patients, and developments that may impact your practice.

As we continue advocating for the advancement of key legislative and policy priorities impacting NPs and our patients, know that ensuring you have these critical resources at hand also remains a top priority. We thank you for all that you are doing every day for patients and communities across the country. The critical access to care you provide is saving lives. Over the past few decades, health care has seen a paradigm shift in the U.S. prompting transformative changes within the nursing discipline.

To accommodate these changes and in response to the recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences to create a practice-oriented doctorate, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) was developed. 1 The DNP prepares nurses to become clinical experts and leaders in health care innovation by translating research into practice using quality improvement methodologies through the evaluation of provider practice and performance measures. 2,3 DNP-prepared nurses are an important solution to filling the growing need for evidence-based practice experts to improve the quality of health care and patient outcomes.

In 1999, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center opened the first DNP program in the nation. 4 

Aggregate data from the AACN Enrollment & Graduations report were used to examine changes in NP focused DNP programs over the last five years, 2014-2015 thru 2018-2019. AACN surveys accredited nursing schools annually to collect critical information on nursing education capacity and the nation's future nursing supply. Although data from these nursing programs is broken out by educational level and population focus, only data from NP-focused BSN-to-DNP and MSN-to-DNP programs were utilized in the analyses presented.

Since 2014, enrollment increased by 87% across both types of DNP programs, yet BSN-to-DNP student enrollment increased by 100% compared to MSN-to-DNP enrollment which increased by 48% (see Figure 1 ). Variability in these two types of programs should be noted. Similarly, graduations increased by 170% across NP-focused DNP programs in the past five years; however, BSN-to-DNP graduations contributed disproportionally to these gains. BSN-to-DNP graduations increased by 336%, while MSN-to-DNP graduations increased by 36% (see Figure 2 ).

While tremendous growth in NP-focused DNP programs over the past five years is evident, the majority of progress has been concentrated in the BSN-DNP programs. Enrollment and graduation growth for the MSN-to-DNP programs has been slower compared to BSN-to-DNP programs, but they are essential for those already master's-or certificate-prepared NPs looking to advance their clinical education. Examining the trends of enrollment and graduation in both DNP program types can serve as an aid in the development of DNP programs and help understand the future NP workforce.

Board on Higher Education and Workforce & National Research Council

Answering the question: Is the Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Nursing Practice right for me? Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners

Optimizing impact through the Tiered Doctor of Nursing Practice Project Model

The role of Doctor of Nursing Practice-prepared nurses in practice settings

Figure 2. NP DNP Graduation Growth from