Practice Doctorate Resource Center

NONPF Perspective

NONPF CLINICAL DOCTORATE INITIATIVE

This initiative falls under NONPF's overarching goal of providing leadership in the development of NP educational paradigms.

Strategic Objective: To maintain quality in advanced practice nursing by identifying the optimal framework of nursing clinical doctoral preparation that 1) broadens the competencies needed within contemporary and future health care systems, 2) provides the opportunity for educational and professional advancement, and 3) recognizes a higher knowledge/skill level for teaching and practice.

Initiative: Support clinical doctoral education for nurses

• Activity 1: Broaden the NONPF clinical doctoral education task force for oversight of the initiative and identify sub-groups to address specific components.
• Activity 2: Publish initial analysis of the issues surrounding clinical doctoral preparation for nurse practitioners.
• Activity 3: Participate in August DrNP discussion and identify other opportunities to engage in external discussions.
• Activity 4: Convene external stakeholders from the APN community to create a vision for the nursing clinical doctorate based on broad-based discussion of key concepts.
• Activity 5: Assess further the impact of the nursing clinical doctorate on the nursing and nursing faculty shortages and promote findings.
• Activity 6: Identify and validate NP competencies needed beyond the master's degree using a process established for identifying other NP competencies.
• Activity 7: Identify a framework for standardizing new advanced clinical programs in nursing.
• Activity 8: Strengthen leadership, management, and outcome content and practice in APN education.
• Activity 9: Identify a mechanism for seamless education for a terminal clinical doctorate degree but with options for multiple entry and exit points.

Approved by the NONPF Board of Directors, July 2002.