Preparing For the Transition:
Preparing Faculty for a Doctor of
Nursing Practice Program
Juliann G. Sebastian, ARNP, PhD, FAAN
Assistant Dean for Advanced Practice Nursing and Professor
Co-Director, DNP Program
Carolyn A. Williams, RN, PhD, FAAN
Dean and Professor
Marcia Stanhope, RN, DSN, FAAN
Associate Dean and Professor
Co-Director, DNP Program
University of Kentucky College of Nursing
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Considerations
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Identify faculty groups to include
Determine types of transitions
Examine faculty development issues
related to the nature of the program
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Context
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Strong commitment to clinical practice
Faculty practice program initiated in 1984
Faculty practice plan in 1994
Practice arrangements include clinical
appointments within the academic health
center, College of Nursing owned and
operated sites, and contracts with clinical
agencies
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Setting the stage
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Dean’s conversations with Chancellor
about the concept of a professional
practice-oriented doctoral program during
the couple of years prior to convening a
planning committee;
Dean discussed the concept of a
professional practice doctorate with Dean
of the Graduate School.
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Stages of transition*
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Curriculum transition
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Curriculum implementation
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Pre-implementation
Program implementation
Curriculum advancement
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Formative evaluation and enhancement
*Farmer, E.A. (2004). Faculty development for problembased learning. European Journal of Dental Education, 8(2),
59-66.
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Pre-Implementation
Faculty involvement in curriculum
development
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Input into decision to develop a DNP program
(1998-99)
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Dean convened a planning committee
Faculty fora and focus groups
Curriculum committee and faculty meeting discussions
Retreat with planning committee
Development of program objectives (post MSN),
curriculum framework and structure, courses,
admission and progression standards
Total faculty vote on the program proposal
(1999)
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Program Implementation:
Development of the core faculty group
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DNP Coordinating Committee, 5/01
Composition
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All faculty members teaching in the DNP program
All are doctorally prepared
Director of the PhD program
All work with both DNP and PhD students
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Two teach PhD courses
Others advise students as dissertation chairs or
committee members
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Functions of DNP Coordinating
Committee
Planning, implementing, and evaluating the
DNP program
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Admissions
Operational policies and procedures
Academic guidelines
Communication (ex., monthly graduate faculty
meetings)
Evaluation
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Formative
Summative
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Student
Committees
Faculty
Advisor
Student
Clinical
Mentor
Faculty
Committee
Member
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Faculty advisors
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Evidence of understanding and operating from a
nursing model
Evidence of scholarship related to clinical
practice; e.g., extramurally funded evaluation
research, publications, presentations
Provision of clinical leadership in decision-making
Use of an evidence-based approach to clinical
decision-making
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Clinical mentors
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Top level clinical or executive experts with
responsibility for population-focused health
care delivery
Mentors are selected from among a variety
of disciplines, thereby building the students’
interdisciplinary experiences.
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Connecting with faculty advisors and
clinical mentors
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Faculty advisors invited to attend course
discussions
Course faculty encourage students to work
directly with faculty advisors & committees
Committees meet regularly to consult with
students; sharing different perspectives
from practice & academe enrich all.
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Ongoing operationalization of
curriculum
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Ongoing, scheduled faculty meetings to
discuss issues, values and ideas
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Monthly DNP Coordinating Committee meetings
Discussion of the nature of the curriculum,
clinical capstone projects, evaluation and
modification of requirements
Faculty retreat, Jan., 2005
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Evolution of the clinical capstone
projects
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Faculty discussions of
assumptions, goals, beliefs
Examination of various
types of clinical change
projects
Outcomes evaluation,
program evaluation and
evaluation research
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Communication strategies
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Monthly reports at Graduate Faculty meetings
Updates at Total Faculty meetings
All faculty and students invited to DNP student
presentations and special lectures, presentations
by visiting professors
DNP students encouraged to make Brown Bag
presentations and to participate in poster sessions
Sharing occurs with faculty members in other
disciplines via academic council discussions,
Brown Bag presentations, invitations to visiting
professor seminars and colloquia
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Communication strategies (cont.)
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Electronic mail announcements,
congratulatory messages
College newsletter
Print advertisements
Faculty Involvement in National
Meetings
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AACN Doctoral conference
Regional DNP conferences
Participation in specialty organization
discussions
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Formative
Evaluation and
Enhancement
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Formative Evaluation
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Real time changes as student or faculty
needs indicate
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E.G., addition of Evidence-Based Practice
course in the first year
Curricular modifications in 2005
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Balanced clinical hours across the two tracks
Added economics/finance course for clinical
students
Distributed final clinical project over two
semesters
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06
Summative Evaluation
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Incorporation into the full College academic
evaluation plan
End of program surveys, Jan., 2006
AACN Regional DNP Meeting San Diego CA 1/12/06