Potential Crisis in Nurse Practitioner Preparation in the United States

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree was established to expand nurse practitioner education by adding new competencies. In 2004, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing released a position statement that redefined practice from only clinical care of patients to include nonclinical care. This policy position likely contributed to the rapid growth of DNP programs. Historical background on the development of the DNP is provided. An analysis was conducted of the programs reported in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing list of accredited DNP programs between 2005 and 2018 to compare whether the programs prepared graduates for advanced clinical practice or administrative or leadership. During this time, 553 DNP programs were established, 15% (n = 83) are clinical, and 85% (n = 470) are nonclinical. The adequate production of nurse practitioners in the future may be in jeopardy with this imbalance in educational resources, especially with the nation's growing need for primary care clinicians.