UR School of Nursing Hosts 5th Annual DNP Summit: DNPs Leading and Caring in Crisis

This year’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Summit, “DNPs Leading and Caring in Crisis,” could not come at a more appropriate time. The University of Rochester School of Nursing will host the fifth annual DNP Summit starting Friday, Oct. 16, and continuing Oct. 23 and Oct. 30.

In contrast to previous years and fitting with the event’s theme, the summit will be held virtually to maintain COVID-19 safety measures and precautions. The digital format allows participants to conveniently and safely attend the event from just about anywhere.

Attendees will hear from three speakers selected for their expertise in the critical competencies for preparing and leading during times of crisis:

Sharon Dudley-Brown, PhD, FNP-BC, FAAN, FAANP

• Clare Dennison Lecturer
• Presenting “DNP Toolkit: Critical Competencies for Leading and Caring in Crisis” on Friday, Oct. 16 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
• Dudley-Brown is an associate professor, and director of the doctor of nursing practice program at the University of Delaware School of Nursing.

Kate Valcin, DNP, RN, CCRN-K, NEA-BC, CNL

• Presenting “Hitting the Ground Running: DNP Preparation Meets Global Pandemic” on Friday, Oct. 23 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
• Valcin is the director of adult critical care nursing at Strong Memorial Hospital.

April Kapu, DNP, RN, ACNP-BC, FAANP

• Presenting “Crisis and DNP Opportunity: Practice and Policy during COVID” on Friday, Oct. 30 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
• Kapu is an associate nursing officer, VUMC Advanced Practice; director, Office of Advanced Practice; associate professor, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing; assistant in critical care, department of anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Starting in 2007, the UR School of Nursing enrolled its first DNP students, one of only two institutions in New York State to offer the degree at that time. In the decade that followed, nearly 350 DNP programs have enrolled more than 32,000 students at nursing schools across the nation, producing more than 7,000 graduates, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Today, multiple national organizations agree: doctoral-level clinicians are necessary leaders in interprofessional health care delivery and advancement in health care delivery models.

The UR School of Nursing introduced the DNP Summit in 2016 as a means to gather national nursing practitioners and clinicians, and facilitate a dialogue about the direction DNP-prepared nurses are headed. In previous years, the DNP Summit was a bustling, all-day event that also included poster presentations and networking opportunities attended by more than a hundred health care professionals.

“I’m pleased the summit will continue its tradition of bringing experts and those interested in pursuing the nursing profession at a doctoral-level together to discuss what it means to be a nursing leader even in the midst of a crisis,” said Lydia Rotondo, DNP, RN, CNS, FNAP, associate dean of education and student affairs and director of the DNP program at the UR School of Nursing. “While COVID-19 was unprecedented, there will certainly be more crises in the future, which lends more opportunities for the voices of nursing clinicians to be heard.”

Contact hours are available for attendees, and unique to this year, no registration fee is required. For more information or to register, please visit the 2020 DNP Summit page.