SHOULD DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE STUDENTS BE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT FOR PUBLICATION? THE FACULTY PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Any change, particularly system change, requires thought, work, adjustment, and reconsideration. Nurses are familiar with that cycle, yet the process of change requires that we make ourselves uncomfortable as we challenge the beliefs, principles, and expectations that underlie our daily activities. That is how we move forward. Historically, we nurses have not in any formal way shared enough of our work with each other. Just as significantly, much of the work nurses do is part of larger efforts involving other professions, so, when that work is published, it is not published by nurses. All of this has begun to change. Having more doctorally prepared nurses, who are trained to see their clinical work in,a larger context, will help. Understanding how one's own work fits into a system is the first step toward meaningful publishing. But does the completion of a doctor of nursing (DNP) program itself qualify one to publish so much so that it ought to be a requirement? This month we explore the faculty perspective on that question.