Practice environment, independence, and roles among DNP- and MSN-prepared primary care nurse practitioners

Many nursing schools are adopting the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) as the preferred model of nurse practitioner (NP) education and eliminating Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs. To date, no studies have explored the relationship between DNP preparation and NP practice environment, independence, and roles.

The purpos of this study is to compare practice environment, independence, and roles among DNP- and MSN-prepared primary care NPs.

This study used a cross-sectional design and observational regression analysis of survey data.

DNP-prepared NPs reported: 1) more favorable NP-Physician Relationships, 2) fewer clinical hours, and 3) more practice leadership. These differences were, however, small and not significant at 0.05 level.

We found no major differences in practice environment, independence, and roles among DNP- and MSN-prepared primary care NPs. As more nursing schools establish DNP programs and more DNP-prepared NPs enter the field, it is especially important to continue to study the impact of DNP preparation on the NP workforce.