NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice

Walden University NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice – Step-By-Step Guide

This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Walden University NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice assignment based on general principles of academic writing. Here, we will show you the A, B, Cs of completing an academic paper, irrespective of the instructions. After guiding you through what to do, the guide will leave one or two sample essays at the end to highlight the various sections discussed below.

How to Research and Prepare for NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice

Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Walden University NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice depends on the preparation done beforehand. The first thing to do once you receive an assignment is to quickly skim through the requirements. Once that is done, start going through the instructions one by one to clearly understand what the instructor wants. The most important thing here is to understand the required format—whether it is APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.

After understanding the requirements of the paper, the next phase is to gather relevant materials. The first place to start the research process is the weekly resources. Go through the resources provided in the instructions to determine which ones fit the assignment. After reviewing the provided resources, use the university library to search for additional resources. After gathering sufficient and necessary resources, you are now ready to start drafting your paper.

How to Write the Introduction for NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice

The introduction for the Walden University NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice is where you tell the instructor what your paper will encompass. In three to four statements, highlight the important points that will form the basis of your paper. Here, you can include statistics to show the importance of the topic you will be discussing. At the end of the introduction, write a clear purpose statement outlining what exactly will be contained in the paper. This statement will start with “The purpose of this paper…” and then proceed to outline the various sections of the instructions.

How to Write the Body for NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice

After the introduction, move into the main part of the NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice assignment, which is the body. Given that the paper you will be writing is not experimental, the way you organize the headings and subheadings of your paper is critically important. In some cases, you might have to use more subheadings to properly organize the assignment. The organization will depend on the rubric provided. Carefully examine the rubric, as it will contain all the detailed requirements of the assignment. Sometimes, the rubric will have information that the normal instructions lack.

Another important factor to consider at this point is how to do citations. In-text citations are fundamental as they support the arguments and points you make in the paper. At this point, the resources gathered at the beginning will come in handy. Integrating the ideas of the authors with your own will ensure that you produce a comprehensive paper. Also, follow the given citation format. In most cases, APA 7 is the preferred format for nursing assignments.

How to Write the Conclusion for NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice

After completing the main sections, write the conclusion of your paper. The conclusion is a summary of the main points you made in your paper. However, you need to rewrite the points and not simply copy and paste them. By restating the points from each subheading, you will provide a nuanced overview of the assignment to the reader.

How to Format the References List for NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice

The very last part of your paper involves listing the sources used in your paper. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order and double-spaced. Additionally, use a hanging indent for each source that appears in this list. Lastly, only the sources cited within the body of the paper should appear here.

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Sample Answer for NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice

Every doctoral degree comes with certain responsibilities. When people see the title of doctor, inherently trust and respect result. Starting on the journey to a doctoral degree comes with a lot of responsibility to the profession, patients, community and self. The long and winding road will likely have bumps. Nursing has evolved and now provides two different avenues to meet the continually growing need for doctoral prepared nurses.  While nurses who have a love for lifelong learning look to their future it is important to understand how an individuals goals align with each doctoral degree. Phd and DNP have different goals related to the future of nursing. 

A PhD in nursing has a focus on research and teaching which means there is also a focus on ensuring funding via grants for the institution (Cleary & Hunt, 2011). Research requires a great deal of time and energy which translates to a long time before the information generation translates into practice changes. Nurses who pursue this avenue are often working to leave their mark on the world and this can take many years to accomplish. Due to the extensive time, effort, and costs associated with a PhD, completion is also an obstacle (Cleary & Hunt, 2011). It is not for the faint of heart as the research process requires an immense amount of work. As a result of this long lead time, the new doctorate in nursing was born (Sperhac & Clinton, 2008). 

The DNP was born out of a need to impact practice and patient care swiftly. Patients need to have better care today and nurses are expected to deliver this care. Nursing has a focus on evidence and data thus this lends itself to a focus on the practice side of nursing (Sperhac & Clinton, 2008). Integration of data and evidence-based practice provide credibility to the nurse thus leading to better outcomes for patients. The DNP also allows the exploration of more clinical based issues to be identified and explored more quickly as the DNP has access to needs as they are identified in the clinical setting. Innovation is expected of the DNP as they apply the research of the PhD. DNP prepared nurses can also engage in research and apply the outcomes readily. Recent changes in the global climate have accelerated the need to apply information rapidly. The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched many practitioners to the breaking point and has also opened the doors to new areas of research and application (The Impact of COVID-19 on the Nursing Profession in the U.S. | AONL, n.d.). 

Nursing is more than a profession to most who are successful. As I look at my career progression over the last twelve months, I would never have imagined the changes I would encounter or those our world would encounter. I am fortunate that nursing is my chosen passion as it is agile and able to meet the constant changes to which we have grown accustomed. The year 2020 was labeled the year of the nurse and to me this means the year of transformation. As a result of this transformation, I personally examined my goals in a new way. Given the chance to gain insight my lifelong goal of being the best nurse I can, has driven me to pursue my terminal degree in nursing. As an operating room nurse who turned to an informatics nurse the Doctor of Nursing practice is the degree for me as my journey in nursing is anything but standard. If not now, when. I am here to seize the day. 

References: 

Cleary, M., & Hunt, G. E. (2011). Demystifying PhDs: A review of doctorate programs designed to fulfil the needs of the next generation of nursing professionals. Contemporary Nurse : A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 39(2), 273–280. 

Sperhac, A. M., & Clinton, P. (2008). Doctorate of Nursing Practice: Blueprint for Excellence. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 22(3), 146–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2007.12.015 

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Nursing Profession in the U.S. | AONL. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.aonl.org/resources/impact-of-covid19-on-nurses 

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Sample Answer 2 for NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice

Thank you for an interesting post!  I really enjoyed reading it. 

Like all things related to process improvement, the pursuit of a doctoral degree in nursing is noted as the terminal level of the nursing education process.  Obtaining a doctoral degree provides nurses with the knowledge and tools to practice at the highest and most respected roles in the profession.   

Considering the practice doctorate level degree is not a new concept, it is however an evolving degree over the last 20 years since the first practice focused doctoral programs launched.  Both the DNP and the PhD degrees assume leadership roles to impact change.  The focus is distinctly different as the DNP (practice focus) and the PhD (research focused), however they share the same educational level of distinction which both compliment and enhance nursing practice.   Other nursing degrees, the Bachelor and Master prepared nurses are entry level nursing staff or mid-level managers who deliver and/or manage the delivery of patient care.  Doctorate level prepared nurses are respected as the most advanced nursing leaders, and have the ultimate responsibility for the continuum of advanced nursing practice.  

 Dr. Linda Beechinor also states in the video, “In order to make changes, empower yourself, and sit at the table where decisions are made, you need the education, background, and the credibility of the doctoral degree.” (Laureate Education, 2011).  

How do you feel your professional life may change once you complete your doctoral degree? Have you given it any thought? 

Dr. Harvey 

Reference: 

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Introduction: The doctor of nursing practice [Video file]. Available from https://class.waldenu.edu 

Sample Answer 3 for NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice

Thank you for your insight. Considering the last year, I can say only what I hope my doctorate will allow me to do and know this could change. My goal as a nurse has always been to provide the best care possible for those I serve. By attaining my DNP, I am looking to join academia and formally train the nurses of the future. My dream has always been to teach and a terminal degree with help me attain this goal. Informally I have enjoyed mentoring the nurses of the future as I have interacted with them as students via their clinicals and I look forward to playing a more active role. 

Professionally I look forward to the unexpected opportunities my DNP is likely to offer. With my varied background I am excited at the adventures I may find as a result of my previous jobs as I have been an operating room nurse, a hospital educator, office nurse, data abstractor, data analysist, informatics nurse, manager, and a nursing home nurse. Recently I was thinking about how my perspective of my abilities has changed from my first job to my current job. In the operating room I had one patient at a time and I always said that was all I could handle. Yesterday I was the nurse for twenty-nine patients (residents) at a time. Never in my wildest dreams did I predict that, and I am excited as I expect my DNP will offer similar unforeseen opportunities. 

Sample Answer 4 for NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice

With the help of technology and scientific research, healthcare is a rapidly growing entity that requires professionals to be flexible and innovative. As a result, there is a need for advancing nursing knowledge so that nursing professionals can engage in conversations with a host of multidisciplinary healthcare professionals that help shape/steer the future of healthcare. To be a nurse with a practice or research doctorate is to join a community of nurse leaders dedicated to contributing research or practice that focuses on addressing the multifaceted challenges of healthcare and effecting positive change within the healthcare system. Both Ph.D. and DNP prepared nurses are tasked with guiding our profession and facilitating practice change.  

According to Michael and Clochesy (2016), “health system leaders and stakeholders are calling for . . . reforms . . . to accelerate the uptake and application of new knowledge and practice and to improve healthcare delivery and health outcomes” (p. 84). Therefore, the expectations associated with both the DNP and Ph.D. are as follows: use research (Ph.D.) in various clinical settings to help improve patient care and outcomes, and apply research (DNP) in the clinical setting to help improve patient care and outcomes. Essentially, the Ph.D. and DNP are complimentary, terminal degrees that work together to gather important healthcare data, create practice protocols, implement practice change, and evaluate the effects of these changes. In short, terminal degree holders should be change agents that focus on areas of leadership, evidence-based research/practice, and policy. Therefore, the overall expectations set by the degree plans and executed by the nurse scientists or practitioners are to create and implement healthcare plans that are rooted in evidence-based research.  

Nurses who hold different degrees (BSN, APRN) traditionally focus on providing patient care. In other words, they are more focused on treating and caring for the patient than examining the data that drive practice change. This focus, however, is not a damaging school of thought—nurse clinicians help care for the growing population of sick individuals in the United States.  

My motivation to pursue a doctoral degree seamlessly aligns with the considerations and expectations of the DNP degree. More specifically, I am heavily interested in evidence-based practice and its effect on positive healthcare outcomes. I have been employed at both a private hospital and a teaching hospital. I recognized my love for patient care early on; it was not until I started working in a teaching facility that I realized my passion for evidence-based patient care. I would compare my patient’s outcomes between both facilities and make suggestions to my private hospital based on data gathered independently. My main goal was to decrease the primary cesarean rate of primigravida patients by utilizing new practice methods that I learned at my teaching facility. Additionally, I have recently transitioned to the role of clinical professional development educator. I am responsible for implementing education rooted in evidence and proven to improve patient care and outcomes. 

Michael, S.J., & Clochesy, J.M. (2016). From scientific discovery to health outcomes: A synergistic model of doctoral nursing education. Nurse Education Today, 40. 84-86.  

Sample Answer 5 for NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice

I really admire how dedicated you are to patient care. It is clear that this is something you feel strongly about.  There is no better time than now to undertake your earning your doctoral degree. If I have one regret, it is that I did not do it earlier. I see young nurses go directly from a masters program to a doctoral one, and I cannot even imagine the positive impact they will have on our profession.  

As a nurse with an advanced degree, it means that you are taking on the role of providing growth and knowledge to the base of nursing. It means that you challenge the status quo using science and philosophy, use qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodologies to support the science, and provide safe, evidence-based care to the patient, family, and community (Zaccagnini, & White, 2014). 

To be a nurse with an advanced degree in research or practice means that you have the knowledge base and skill set to affect the way nursing is viewed as a profession (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2006). It means that you listen to the bedside nurse and hear wat they find as obstacles or questions of practice and answer them. It means that you are a subject matter expert in the profession of nursing or research and that you will endeavor to get those questions answered to the best of your ability utilizing both scientific methodologies as well as philosophical methodologies (McEwen, & Wills, 2014). A nurse who holds a different degree may just use concrete types of thinking, but the advanced degree nurse uses both concrete and abstract thinking to find solutions and answers (Gray, Grove, & Sutherland, 2017). 

The expectations associated with a doctoral degree, whether a DNP or a  PhD researcher is the assumption that best practice via evidence or research about an identified practice problem will be implemented at the bedside or to result in better patient outcomes. Evidenced based practice nformation will be disseminated to the RNs to put into practice or to understand the needed change in practice (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2006).  

Was it a difficult decision to decide which educational route you wanted to take? Who do you feel influenced you the most? 

References 

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2006). The essentials of doctoral education for advanced nursing practice. Washington, DC: Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/DNP/pdf/Essentials.pdf 

Gray, J. R., Grove, S. K., and Sutherland, S. (2017). Burns and Grove’s the practice of nursing research: Appraisal, Synthesis, and Generation of Evidence (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier. 

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Introduction: The doctor of nursing practice [Video file]. Available from https://class.waldenu.edu 

Zaccagnini, M. E., & White, K. W. (2014). The doctor of nursing practice essentials: A new model for advanced practice nursing (2nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett. [Vital Source e-reader]

Sample Answer 6 for NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice

The healthcare delivery system is always evolving. It is the opinion on many, that nurses are at the forefront of delivering healthcare. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2006), many nurses seek a doctoral degree in response to healthcare need for experts in knowledge in the clinical setting, academia, and leadership role. Moreover, knowing that nurses are a vital part of the healthcare delivery system, nurses need to stay up to date on literature as well as best practice in the clinical setting. The forever growing healthcare delivery system urges advanced prepared nurses to seek the highest level of education in the field of nursing. This urgency sparks the desire of many nurses to obtain a doctoral degree. There is a great sense of leadership responsibility embedded in obtaining Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (Ph.D.). It is widely known DNP prepared nurses focus on delivering evidence-based practices (EBP) in the clinical setting and Ph.D. prepared nurses focus on conducting research to advance science and the practice of nursing (Zaccagnini et al., 2021). Although the degree paths of a nurse prepared with a DNP or Ph.D. are rooted in different areas of nursing, the ultimate goal is the same. The ultimate goal of each degree path is to create nurses who are leaders and strive to improve healthcare. 

Nurses prepared at the doctoral level are weighted with a greater sense of responsibility compared to nurses prepared at lower educational levels. Nurses that are not doctorally prepared are groomed to focus solely on providing safe patient care.  Doctorally prepared nurses are placed in the spotlight  due to the expectations of leading others and urging those alike, in the healthcare arena, to increase their knowledge of research and use EBP when implementing patient care and determining the expected outcome.

As we all are aware, the world is enduring a global crisis also unknown as a pandemic. At this time, it is vital to be  up-to-date on  research as well as implement best practices in the clinical setting. The current pandemic is affecting every aspect of healthcare without regard to the setting. I have chosen to pursue a doctoral degree to increase my knowledge of best practices in the clinical setting. By increasing my knowledge, I can share what I have learned with others and hopefully improved the healthcare delivery system, and ultimately increase the chance of patients achieving desired outcomes.

References 

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2006). The essentials of doctoral education for advanced nursing practice. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.aacnnursing.org/DNP/DNP-Essentials

Zaccagnini, M. & Pechacek, J. M. (2021). The doctor of nursing practice essentials: A new model for advanced practice nursing (4th ed.).  Jones & Bartlett.

Sample Answer 7 for NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice

I found your post the likable one at that. From the exposition to the main subject-topic discussion, you offered a concise treatment of the DNP degree, stressing its relevance to healthcare development, patients’ experience, and its capacity to build to prepare nurses for leadership and social change influencer roles. I do agree with you that DNP-prepared nurses would be able to identify grey areas in the care practice nuances with a specific focus on reducing the cost of accessing healthcare for the patient populations. Despite their multidisciplinary roles in topical healthcare settings, DNP nurses also play significant roles in academic environments by training, modeling, and inspiring future nurse leaders. They help provide educational curricula input directions for the healthcare training institutes, focusing on future care needs to meet up as the patient dynamics evolve Graves et al. (2021b).

Besides, you also discuss, in-depth, the healthcare sector’s sky-bound expectations in the DNP degree, buttressing its industrial application as an element of a paradigm shift in the level at which nurse ought to have become competent research and evidence-based nursing scientists. The expectations correlate with the government’s intention to increase the camp of nurse scientists and advance nursing practice in the care setting targeting the increasing pressure for competent and evidence-based practicing nurses. According to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the critical care competency gap calls for an upgrade in the cognitive competence of future nurses if the patient experience must be met and improved Ketefian and Redman (2015).

Of particular interest is the mention of the bipolar disorder patient’s scenario in the post. Managing GAD/MDD patients can be challenging, especially when violent behavior is involved. I have not worked in any psychiatric environment, but I would like to study the association between violence and mental disorder incidences. Above all, your work is informative, engaging, and clinically delivered. Thank you.

References

Graves, L. Y., Tamez, P. A., Wallen, G. R., & Saligan, L. N. (2021a). Defining the role of individuals prepared as a doctor of nurse practice in symptoms science research. Nursing Outlook, 69(4), 542–549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2021.01.013Links to an external site.

Graves, L. Y., Tamez, P. A., Wallen, G. R., & Saligan, L. N. (2021b). Defining the role of individuals prepared as a doctor of nurse practice in symptoms science research. Nursing Outlook, 69(4), 542–549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2021.01.013Links to an external site.

Ketefian, S., & Redman, R. W. (2015). A critical examination of developments in nursing doctoral education in the United States. Revista Latino-americana De Enfermagem, 23(3), 363–371. https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-1169.0797.2566Links to an external site.

NURS 8100 WEEK 1 Discussion Health Care Reform Sample

Feature of the Health Care System 

              One feature of the US health care system is that it is the most expensive healthcare in the world with results that would not agree with the cost. It is interesting to see that the US healthcare system has tried to evolve over the years and in that evolving has actually increased the cost of healthcare (Bodenheimer & Grumbach, 2020). Competition has fueled the improvement of healthcare, but at the cost of raising healthcare costs for the individual. There are other countries that have better health care systems in place, for a fraction of the cost. It would be interesting to investigate the actual cost of care and how much insurance companies gain compared to their actual payout. There is much that could be improved in the US health care system. It could be possible that the monetary issues prevent there from being major reform to the system because companies make such a large sum of money that they do not want things to change. As the US health care system has tried to change and become seemingly more affordable through the use of policy changes there has been an increase in the amount of money that they government pays, which is actually paid by US citizens through taxes (Bodenheimer & Grumbach, 2020). It seems that whenever the US health care system is taking one step forward it is also taking two steps back. 

Challenges 

              The Affordable Care Act (ACA) did provide more individuals with health care coverage. This has improved the health of many individuals. One condition of the ACA is that it protects individuals with preexisting conditions from insurance companies denying care based on their condition (Healthcare.gov, n.d.). This is a great benefit for many individuals, but it comes at a cost for the insurance companies. This mandatory coverage causes insurance companies to then have to try to balance out coverage for those individuals that are ill versus those individuals who are healthy which can end up costing those individuals that are healthy to pay for others in their groups (Bodenheimer & Grumbach, 2020). This causes insurances to have to base their premiums on an experience rating versus a community rating which potentially provides unfair coverage to individuals (Bodenhemier & Grumbach, 2020). This seemingly minor change from the ACA has a ripple effect in the way that insurance companies need to charge for care and how they will determine premiums for individuals. The ACA in general is an example of how the policy making process is in the United States. Making or changing policy in the United States is a very slow, very incremental process which makes it hard to change or add policies (Walden University, LLC, 2011). The ACA was a worked on for a long time and because of the changes that were made many companies had to adjust accordingly. Health reform in the United States is difficult because there are so many entities that want to make sure that they are not being left out or hurt in decisions or policies that are being made and so they will stall or stonewall different policies if they feel that it does not benefit them. When there are policy changes then there are adjustments that need to be made and sometimes that effects so many different things that the changes end up being a negative instead of a positive, such as individuals who have to pay too much for the ACA healthcare and therefore opt out and are fined for that decision (Bodenheim & Grumbach, 2020). 

References 

Bodenheimer, T., & Grumbach, K. (2020).  Understanding health policy: A clinical approach (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.  

HealthCare.gov. (n.d.) Understanding the Affordable Care Act. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-aca/index.html 

Walden University, LLC. (Executive Producer). (2011). Healthcare policy and advocacy: The policy process. Baltimore: Author.