Navigating DNP Student Needs

Abstract

Doctor of nursing practice (DNP) faculty advisers help students navigate academic challenges, professional development, and leadership opportunities while earning a DNP degree. Student needs during DNP education are unique from other programs and require careful advising to address common challenges. This article links student needs with advising competencies and presents strategies for faculty development and support.

Make writing a daily habit: An evaluation of an educational intervention to improve writing self-efficacy among DNP students

“…The instructional methods used for the workshop were designed for a variety of learning modalities in order to assist DNP students with their unique learning needs. [3] The components of the curriculum included eight sessions with two group activities: 1) Importance of Scholarly Communication; 2) Importance of Scholarly Writing/Considering the Audience; 3) Writing a Topic Sentence and Paragraph; 4) Organization of a Paper; 5) Creating an Outline; 6) APA Essentials; 7) Writing a Summary of a Research Article; and 8) Constructive Peer Reviewing. The first session was focused on scholarly (and professional) communication surrounding e-mail etiquette, verbal and non-verbal components of students' professional image, and social media.…”

“…However, the educational pathway in these programs can be problematic for students. [3] Many DNP students report barriers to success due to reduced self-efficacy in writing, difficult time and life balance, financial problems, lack of confidence, and the perceived value of the degree. [4] While some of these issues may be specific to individual students, scholarly writing remains a universal challenge to student success.…”

Librarians collaborate successfully with nursing faculty and a writing centre to support nursing students doing professional doctorates

“…DNP programs have rigorous academic expectations that demand high levels of information literacy (Salani, Albuja & Azaiza, 2016). Some DNP students have scholarly writing skills while other students may have never developed them as undergraduates (Hande et al, 2017). It is common for DNP students to express anxiety about academic writing (Boquet et al, 2010), and collaboration with university writing centres is recommended (Salani, Albuja & Azaiza, 2016).…”

Supporting Student Success

“…While recommendations exist to meet quality outcomes and ensure the effective use of resources with attention to efficiency of faculty time and effort, little evidence is available to inform best practices for documentation of students' readiness to practice as new DNP-prepared nurses. 2,3 Course faculty are responsible for tracking student progress and evaluating student outcomes in order for students to graduate. Yet, monitoring student progress in our program remained a challenge because of the lack of a systematic and efficient approach.…”

“…Previously, students documented practice hours via a spreadsheet template that faculty reviewed every semester to confirm the appropriateness of practice hours and evaluate progress. 3 Variability in activity descriptions and student frustration with the template highlighted the need for change to support student success. Based on student and faculty feedback, we sought to standardize the process of documenting practice hours, classifying hours according to the DNP Essentials, 1 facilitating faculty review, and tracking student progress.…”