DNP Practice Experiences

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials (2021) provide the educational framework for advanced nursing education. The AACN Essentials include 10 Domains, each with associated competencies. The revised Essentials also share eight concepts intended to integrate within and across the domains and competencies.

Students must devote time to practicing their future role within each DNP Essential. Candidates for the DNP degree at CSS complete 500 practice hours related to the DNP Essentials. These hours can include, among others; 

• engaging in leadership development, 

• developing cultural fluency awareness,

• planning, implementing, and evaluating the DNP project, and 

• presenting at professional conferences. 

Some of these hours are required, meaning an assigned learning experience is built into a course with associated hours that students can apply toward the 500-hour minimum. Other hours are optional, meaning students can choose learning experiences associated with their scholarly project and individual professional goals in leadership, diversity, business, policy, information technology, and population health. 

AACN Essentials: Concepts for Nursing Practice

A concept is an organizing idea or a mental abstraction that represents important areas of knowledge. These concepts are found in the introduction, across the domains (within domain descriptors and contextual statements), within the competencies and sub-competencies, and can be verified through a crosswalk analysis. Although not every concept is found within every domain, each concept is represented in most domains. 

For example, can you imagine delivering person-centered care without also considering diversity, equity, and inclusion? Can you imagine having a conversation about population health without considering ethics and health policy? These concepts truly are interrelated and interwoven within the domains and competencies, serving as a foundation for learning. (AACN, 2021)