Promoting DNP-PhD collaboration in doctoral education: Forming a DNP project team

As the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree continues to evolve, challenges exist with the scholarly project. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has set forth guidelines for the DNP project (2015), however, at this point there is variation with respect to the structure of the DNP project team. This is particularly important given the: 1) growing number of DNP students; 2) need to foster scholarship; and 3) necessity for ensuring rigor of this degree (Waldrop, Caruso, Fuchs & Hypes, 2014). An opportunity exists to establish a project team that promotes scholarly formation, collaboration, and efficiency. Therefore, this paper describes purposefully pairing DNP-Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) faculty as part of the DNP project team. Collaboration among DNP-PhD-prepared faculty guides DNP student formation and fosters a community of scholars, yet little has been reported specifically addressing the pairing of DNP-PhD faculty on DNP student projects. Benefits of this collaborative approach are presented and may be helpful for other colleges of nursing.