The role of Doctor of Nursing Practice programs' mission, vision, and values statements in the development of students' professional identity: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: The effectiveness of university and program mission, vision, and values statements in shaping Doctor in Nursing Practice (DNP) programs' curricula and their students' professional identity is insufficiently understood. DESIGN: This qualitative research project explored how these statements inform DNP program curricula and contribute to the development of the professional identity of students SETTING: Three DNP programs in the U.S. American Midwest participated in this research. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included students, alumni, and faculty from these three programs. METHODS: 33 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The transcriptions were analyzed, using the Grounded Theory approach, and the results were interpreted in light of the statements of participating programs. RESULTS: While a wide range of themes related to interviewees' professional identity was identified, it became apparent that students' professional identity is centered on (1) being citizens engaged in social, democratic, and political processes, (2) building caring relationships and communities, and (3) addressing health inequities. Such priorities are explicitly aligned with the statements of participating programs. CONCLUSIONS: The results (1) highlight the potential of statements to foster students' development of a professional identity as DNPs and (2) underscore that this identity is aligned with nursing programs' specific mission and values.

Faculty Practice as an Educational Strategy: Student, Faculty, and Administrator Perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Outcomes data are deficient in demonstrating the impact of faculty practice on education. PURPOSE: To examine nurse practitioner (NP) student, faculty, and administrator perspectives on faculty practice as an educational strategy. METHODS: NP students, faculty, and administrators from 6 different universities were surveyed. RESULTS: A total of 173 students, 25 faculty members, and 11 administrators participated. Results provide information on perspectives of faculty practice as an educational strategy pertaining to evaluation of education outcomes, overall education, didactic education, and clinical education. CONCLUSION: Faculty practice has educational benefits and brings value to nursing education, although evidentiary support is lacking.

Academic Nursing and Faculty Practice.

BACKGROUND: Many challenges are inherent in academic nursing, and additional unique challenges exist for faculty and nursing programs that simultaneously engage in or offer faculty practice. To date, little has been published on faculty practice and academic nursing outside of the mission of education. PURPOSE: To describe faculty practice within the context of academic nursing as it pertains to scholarship and research, annual evaluations, promotion, support of faculty practice, and additional benefits and challenges. METHODS: A convenience sample of faculty and administrators was surveyed from 6 different universities in the United States. RESULTS: A total of 25 faculty members and 11 administrators participated. Results indicate faculty practice offers both benefits and challenges to the noneducational aspects of academic nursing. CONCLUSION: The benefits and challenges should be carefully considered within the context of the future of academic nursing and faculty practice.

Perceived impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education.

BACKGROUND: Faculty practice is believed to positively affect health education, however limited research exists on the impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education. PURPOSE: The purpose was to explore the perceived impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education. METHODS: A preliminary mixed methods approach was used to evaluate nurse practitioner student and faculty perspectives on the impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education. Student group interviews were conducted and practicing faculty were surveyed. RESULTS: Study findings included student and faculty-perceived benefits and challenges of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education. Specific benefits were increased access to faculty preceptors and clinical sites for nurse practitioner students, influencing faculty-developed education materials, increased number of real-world examples, faculty credibility, applying evidence-based practice, and overall improvement in the quality of teaching. Specific challenges were time, faculty availability to students, managing multiple roles, and clinical sites not conducive to precepting. CONCLUSION: This study provided preliminary information on the perceived impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education including the benefits and challenges. Findings support faculty practice as having a positive perceived impact on nurse practitioner education.

Increased access to nurse practitioner care in rural Nebraska after removal of required integrated practice agreement.

Nebraska is a largely rural state with many communities defined as medically underserved by primary care providers. In 2014, the state legislature voted to eliminate the requirement for an integrated practice agreement (IPA) between nurse practitioners (NPs) and physicians. This report describes changes in access to primary health care in rural and underserved areas of Nebraska after removal of the IPA barrier to practice. The report compares the number of primary care NPs working in medically underserved areas before and after the legislation that ended the required IPA. In addition, anecdotes will be provided of NP and patient experiences in rural, NP-owned practices in Nebraska after IPA requirements were eliminated.