Policy Issues Affecting DNP-Prepared Nurses

ii) What are the current primary roles of doctoral-prepared nurses in the current
U.S. healthcare delivery system?

DNP-prepared nurse response: One of the current primary roles of doctoral-prepared
nurses is working as an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). This entails the provision
of comprehensive healthcare services such as disease prevention, diagnosis, and management
of chronic illnesses. Also, doctoral-prepared nurses currently act as healthcare leaders and
help oversee the implementation of programs that improve patient outcomes and promote
patient safety (Negarandeh & Khoshkesht, 2022). Moreover, doctoral-prepared nurses are
actively involved in research and synthesis of evidence that improves patient care outcomes
and advances nursing. The DNP-prepared nurses still play a pivotal role in nursing education
by assuming roles such as nurse educators, program directors, and administrators
(Negarandeh & Khoshkesht, 2022). Additionally, doctoral-prepared nurses help to advocate
for policies that affect patient care, safety, and policies addressing health disparities. They
perform the advocacy role by collaborating with other healthcare providers and policymakers
to influence various legislations.
iii) What are the policy issues affecting the practice of doctoral-prepared nurses
today?

Policy Issues Affecting DNP-Prepared Nurses

One major policy issue is practice restriction. Current restrictions include collaborative practice agreements. These limit prescriptive authority for APRNs. As a result, it affects their ability to provide care based on training (McCauley et al., 2020).

Inconsistent reimbursement policies also hinder practice. Additionally, variation in cross-state licensure impacts DNP-prepared nurses. Different telehealth policies across states create further challenges (McCauley et al., 2020).

Moreover, healthcare access and equity policies affect practice. Doctoral-prepared nurses advocate for expanding care to marginalized populations (McCauley et al., 2020).

Future Role of Doctoral-Prepared Nurses

The role of doctoral-prepared nurses will evolve in the next decade.

Emerging trends will drive this change.

Collaboration with other healthcare professionals will increase.

This will lead to a more holistic approach to care (van Dongen et al., 2024). APA