The practice doctorate in nursing provides the terminal academic preparation for nursing

practice. The scientific underpinnings of this education reflect the complexity of practice

at the doctoral level and the rich heritage that is the conceptual foundation of nursing.

The discipline of nursing is focused on:

• The principles and laws that govern the life-process, well-being, and optimal

function of human beings, sick or well;

• The patterning of human behavior in interaction with the environment in normal

life events and critical life situations;

• The nursing actions or processes by which positive changes in health status are

affected; and

• The wholeness or health of human beings recognizing that they are in continuous

interaction with their environments (Donaldson & Crowley, 1978; Fawcett, 2005;

Gortner, 1980).

DNP graduates possess a wide array of knowledge gleaned from the sciences and have

the ability to translate that knowledge quickly and effectively to benefit patients in the

daily demands of practice environments (Porter-O’Grady, 2003). Preparation to address

current and future practice issues requires a strong scientific foundation for practice. The

scientific foundation of nursing practice has expanded and includes a focus on both the

natural and social sciences. These sciences that provide a foundation for nursing practice

include human biology, genomics, the science of therapeutics, the psychosocial sciences,

as well as the science of complex organizational structures. In addition, philosophical,

ethical, and historical issues inherent in the development of science create a context for

the application of the natural and social sciences. Nursing science also has created a

significant body of knowledge to guide nursing practice and has expanded the scientific

underpinnings of the discipline. Nursing science frames the development of middle

range theories and concepts to guide nursing practice. Advances in the foundational and

nursing sciences will occur continuously and nursing curricula must remain sensitive to

emerging and new scientific findings to prepare the DNP for evolving practice realities.

The DNP program prepares the graduate to:

1. Integrate nursing science with knowledge from ethics, the biophysical,

psychosocial, analytical, and organizational sciences as the basis for the highest

level of nursing practice.

2. Use science-based theories and concepts to:

• determine the nature and significance of health and health care delivery

phenomena;

• describe the actions and advanced strategies to enhance, alleviate, and

ameliorate health and health care delivery phenomena as appropriate; and

• evaluate outcomes.

3. Develop and evaluate new practice approaches based on nursing theories and

theories from other disciplines.