Shortage of Medical Staffing Solution: Dr. Nurse

The Wall Street Journal reports that over 200 nursing schools plan to add doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) programs that prepare graduates for a role similar to those of primary care physicians.

Such a program runs for two years with one year of it spent in a residency. These programs aim to train students "to have more focus than doctors on coordinating care among many specialists and health-care settings."

On April 2, Council for the Advancement of Comprehensive Care and National Board of Medical Examiners announced the new certification examination for DNP. They will give the first exam in November 2008.

DNP certification is a three-part process. Candidates must attain licensure as advanced practice nurses, graduate from a DNP program, and successfully complete the CACC Doctor of Nursing Practice Certification Examination.

In addition to completion of the DNP educational program, a passing score on the DNP Examination is intended to provide further evidence to the public that DNP certificants are qualified to provide comprehensive patient care.

How do mid-level nurses (higher than an RN, but lower than a DNP) differ from a physician's assistant? Education. EnidNews.com says that nurses have master's degrees in medicine plus they must work for at least two years before becoming nurse practitioners. The DNP helps them with clinical skills and knowledge.

How will Dr. Nurse help the medical staffing shortage? Well, it will help the shortage on primary care physicians, but not for nurses. Note the following from the article:

With an acute shortage of nurses, some medical professionals worry that the doctoral programs, with promises of higher-paying jobs and prestige, will lure more nurses away from the critical tasks of day-to-day bedside care.

But program proponents say they could help bring more nurses into the profession by increasing the number of faculty candidates to train a new generation of nurses. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2016.

Still, nursing schools had to turn away 40,285 qualified applicants to bachelor's and graduate nursing programs in 2007 in part because of an insufficient number of faculty, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Furthermore, the medical staffing shortage won't end soon if the AMN Healthcare survey (PDF file) turns out true. The survey says that 35% of Baby Boomer nurses plan to change careers within three years due to burn out thanks to frustration with nurse staffing shortages.

Thus, the medical industry seeks out creative solutions like the DNP program.

The DNP program is a hot topic. Read more ...

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