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Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Using Learning Outcome Measures to assess Doctoral Nursing Education
Published on: June 21, 2010
Reimagining Nurse Executive Board Certification: A Proposal for a Doctoral-level Credential.
Stephan Davis1, Sandra Galura, Heather Nelson-Brantley
1Author Affiliations: Associate Professor and Executive Director, Leadership, Policy, and DNP Education, Georgetown University, Washington, DC (Dr. Davis); Associate Professor and Director, Master's in Nursing Leadership and Management Program, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL (Dr. Galura); Associate Professor and Director, Nurse Executive DNP and Nursing Health Systems Leadership MSN Pathways, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL (Dr. Nelson-Brantley).
Current nurse executive certifications show overlap and lack differentiation by academic level. A new doctoral-level pathway is proposed to align with advanced nursing education and leadership needs.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Leadership
- Healthcare Administration
- Professional Certification
Background:
- Nursing leadership educational preparation has evolved, but current nurse executive board certifications exhibit redundancies.
- Existing certifications lack sufficient differentiation based on the level of academic preparation achieved by nurse leaders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose the establishment of a doctoral-level certification pathway for nurse executives.
- To align nurse executive certification with the increasing trend of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) as the terminal degree for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs).
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of nursing leadership educational preparation and current nurse executive board certifications.
- Emphasis on outcomes associated with doctoral preparation and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) essentials.
Main Results:
- Identified redundancies and insufficient differentiation in current nurse executive board certifications based on academic preparation.
- Highlighted the alignment of doctoral preparation with advanced nursing practice and leadership roles.
Conclusions:
- A doctoral-level certification pathway for nurse executives is recommended.
- This initiative supports national calls for doctoral education for nurses in organization-wide or system-level leadership positions and aligns with the DNP as a terminal practice degree.
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