Practice, Vision, Visibility: Highlights from the 2018 DNP Summit

The University of Rochester School of Nursing welcomed more than 100 registrants to its third annual Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Summit on Oct. 26.

Each year, the day-long conference brings together clinicians, scholars, executives, and policymakers from across the country to showcase the contributions of DNP-prepared nurses and explore an evolving vision for DNPs to positively affect clinical practice, health policy, and care delivery across the health care continuum. The 2018 DNP Summit centered on a theme of practice, vision, and visibility.

“With 6,000 DNP-prepared nurses in the workforce, the conversation has shifted from the potential of the DNP to the performance of the DNP,” said Lydia Rotondo, DNP, RN, CNS, in her DNP Summit opening remarks. Rotondo is the University of Rochester School of Nursing’s associate dean of education and student affairs and DNP program director.

Keynote speaker Shannon Idzik, DNP, ANP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, who is associate dean of the DNP program and an associate professor of organizational systems and adult health at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, also reflected on the growth and evolution of doctoral degrees for nurses.

Since the first nursing doctorate – a PhD – was awarded in 1934, several iterations of doctoral nursing degrees have emerged, including the DNS, the ND, and finally the DNP, said Idzik. By 2006, fewer than 900 students were enrolled in DNP programs at about 20 schools in the United States. As of 2017, nearly 30,000 students were preparing for DNPs at 336 nursing schools across the country.

In a presentation titled “The Future is Here: DNP as Entry to Advanced Practice,” Idzik highlighted the many ways DNP-prepared nurses in the workforce can serve as the missing link to high-quality and more cost-effective health care through leadership, evidence-based practice, advocacy, and interprofessional collaboration.

In addition to Rotondo and Idzik, the DNP Summit welcomed three plenary session speakers: Mary Blankson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, of Community Health Center, Inc.; Grant Martsolf, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, of the RAND Corporation and University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing; and Karen Davis, PhD, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, of the University of Rochester Medical Center.

New to the DNP Summit this year was the inclusion of a scientific poster session, providing an opportunity for DNP students, educators, and practitioners to disseminate ongoing and completed scholarly inquiry projects/initiatives, clinic

al projects, evidence-based practice, and best practices. After receiving poster abstract submissions from around the country, 15 scientific posters across five categories were selected for display at the DNP Summit.

After the success of this year's event, planning for the fourth annual DNP Summit is already underway. Next year's gathering is slated for Friday, Nov. 1, 2019.