A scholar has to meet a vast range of responsibilities and play several key roles that require substantial efforts and high levels of professionalism. As a DNP, one has to not only ensure that the needs of patients are met but also advocate for vulnerable groups on a larger scale and introduce changes to the current healthcare system on social, economic, and even legal levels (Daw, Seldomridge, Battistoni, & Belcher, 2018). Therefore, as a scholar, a DNP has to play the roles of an innovator and educator, at the same time addressing current public health issues and managing the tasks associated with interdisciplinary collaboration through research.
As a rule, a scholar plays the role of a change agent in the nursing environment. Thus, a DNP scholar influences the policies associated with nursing practice on not only clinical but also ethical and legal levels. Based on the results of evidence-based research, comprehensive programs that embrace the needs of vulnerable demographic and take economic constraints of patients into consideration are produced (Oermann, Lynn, & Agger, 2016). In addition, a scholar is responsible for seeking the strategies of patient education and the increase in nurses’ competencies, as well as the provision of tools or establishing a nurse-patient dialogue (Holly, 2014). For this reason, the key tasks that a DNP scholar has to accomplish include careful and accurate research and compliance with the related ethical and clinical standards for EBP studies.
Being a DNP scholar primarily means being able to prompt positive change in public health and nursing environment by developing programs for the needs of vulnerable groups. In addition, a DNP has to improve the existing guidelines for nursing practice by incorporating evidence-based and patient-centered approaches, and integrate the principles of interdisciplinary collaboration into the nursing environment. Thus, as a scholar, a DNP has to be capable of exerting positive influence and using leadership skills to build the platform for continuous improvements.
References
Daw, P., Seldomridge, L. A., Battistoni, S., & Belcher, A. E. (2018). Increasing the Number of Nurse Faculty with Doctoral Degrees: Outcomes of the Maryland Nurse Educator Doctoral Grant Program 2013-2018. Nursing Economics, 36(5), 213-218.
Holly, C. (2014). Scholarly inquiry and the DNP Capstone. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Oermann, M. H., Lynn, M. R., & Agger, C. A. (2016). Hiring intentions of directors of nursing programs related to DNP-and PhD-prepared faculty and roles of faculty. Journal of Professional Nursing, 32(3), 173-179. Web.