Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Addressed by the NLN's New \"Reflection & Dialogue\" Series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY — April 20, 2007 — The National League for Nursing has issued a statement on the DNP in "Reflection and Dialogue," an outgrowth of the need for the timely dissemination of the NLNs thinking on important issues. The continuing series, available at www.nln.org/aboutnln/, will reflect the input of members of the NLNs Board of Governors and offer an opportunity for reflection and dialogue with the nursing education community.

Explained NLN CEO Dr. Beverly Malone, "As the organization that speaks for all nurse educators and all types of nursing education, the NLN is privileged to articulate concerns and recommendations regarding any initiatives that affect faculty role development or nursing education. The views described in Reflection and Dialogue may become formal NLN position statements."

"Doctoral preparation for nurses and consequential leadership in higher education and within the profession are strong values of the NLN," continued Dr. Toni Bargagliotti, NLN president, "but we do have concerns about the doctor of nursing practice as delineated in our Reflection and Dialogue statement."

NLN concerns include:

• Foundational essentials for DNP curriculum design do not include courses related to pedagogy, evaluation, academic role issues and elements, and educational theory. Faculty who are not educated in those areas cannot engage meaningfully in nursing education research or make evidence-based contributions to reform.
• The DNP may have a negative effect on the pool of students in other doctoral programs in nursing and nursing education and reduce the number of nurses whose research focus adds to knowledge development in nursing.

The NLNs "Reflection and Dialogue" about the DNP advises that "…a post-masters certificate in pedagogy may be desirable for those individuals wishing to assume or advance in an academic educator role." The NLN further recommends that in recognition of the complexity of the faculty role…"mentoring is needed across the entire career continuum of nurse faculty."

For more information and interview opportunities please contact NLN chief communications officer Karen R. Klestzick at 212-812-0376, kklestzick@nln.org.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education offering faculty development, networking opportunities, testing and assessment, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 20,000 individual and 1100 institutional members.