The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a nursing degree designed to create leaders and change-makers. It is a great asset to have this graduate-level status when looking for employment as you carry a high level of skills, knowledge, and critical thinking about the nursing industry. Rather than there being only one type of DNP program, there are several of them, so that you can find the one that best suits your passion. Below are five Doctor of Nursing Practice programs for those who want to change the future of nursing for the better.
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
The DNP-FNP track is a program for registered RNs who want to lead primary care delivery for patients across a wide age range. The graduates of this program are ready to be innovative and serve those who do not normally receive regular care, such as those who live in outlying rural areas that are not near hospitals.
This grad is in a unique and powerful position to change not only the life of the individual to whom they provide primary care, but also positively impact their families and communities. Through coursework and clinical placements, students can expect to learn about healthcare policy and business, ethics, pharmacology, assessment, and more, with a focus on transforming healthcare and changing outcomes.
2. Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)
The PNP program is designed for students who want to provide primary care specifically to kids and adolescents. Providing primary and acute care to those who are in this young age range is what you can expect in your future career.
As for how your actions will impact the future of nursing, the extent of your potential influence is huge. You could be working in hospitals, urgent care clinics, pediatric offices, and more. That is where you would provide care to children that might not otherwise receive it. In this position, you can look forward to empowering families by educating parents or other caregivers about conditions.
3. Nurse-Midwifery
The DNP program for the nurse-midwife specialty is an important one for transforming nursing. With the advanced education you gain from an accredited college, you can expect to provide primary and maternity care.
As you attend to women’s health issues, your position helps to improve the quality of care females receive, as well as improving the delivery of appropriate health care. Not only that, but you have the opportunity to promote health equity among particular populations. If there is not universal access and health equity in place, nurse-midwives can push for policy-level changes that flow through to advancements in practice.
4. Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP)
The DNP-NNP program readies you to work with babies in a range of situations. Perhaps you will focus on caring for healthy infants or, instead, work with critically ill babies. Others will be solely in the intensive care unit, caring for infants in incubators or on breathing apparatuses.
Also, you will be communicating with the parents of these infants, who likely are scared and stressed about their little one. Keeping them up to date on the condition of the baby is essential, as well as participating in health-based initiatives that have the potential to improve the field of nursing. Perhaps you will work in research, where you will look at bettering the level of care babies receive, or you will provide a new initiative that better informs parents of their child’s current condition than ever before.
5. Executive Nurse Leadership
As a nurse leader, you will emerge from your college program with the confidence to influence teams and drive an evidence-based business strategy. Not only will you learn the economic and financial components of healthcare organizations, but you will also study how to improve perceptions about nursing’s value within certain institutions.
Encouraging organizational change is a key part of being a successful nurse leader, and it can go far toward helping put patient care first. Now more than ever, nurse executives are important to the future of the nation.
Finding Which DNP Program is Right for You
All five on the list above are nurse practitioner programs in Texas available online. Looking through the range of DNP options will help you see what the specialties are so that you can decide where to work to have the most opportunity to make a positive impact.
Being able to get an education online provides you with a lot of flexibility. If you hold a job in addition to going to school, you can balance the two and still have time for family and friends. The reason is that you can do homework after your shift ends (or before it) and complete assignments from anywhere, including home or a friend’s house.
Finding out which specialty you prefer can take some time, which is why it is a good idea to start researching the different types of DNP programs as soon as possible. Then you will know which one to apply for before the admission period ends at your desired school.
Being able to research the school you want to attend, and the courses involved in a certain program is easier than ever with the internet. Look at the website, read forums, and get a sense of what a certain DNP nursing program would be like to attend. Can you see yourself going there? If so, then it’s a good idea to look at what you need to submit to the college for consideration into the program.
Conclusions on the Future of Nursing
Nurses in a range of roles and specialties are a crucial part of health care services. Making improvements to the healthcare system is possible when you have the education, training, and passion for doing so.
Advancing patient care and providing care to those who do not receive it is important, more so than before. By taking a DNP program in your specialized area of interest, you can help to redefine what nursing looks like in the future and improve it significantly.
