Developing Leadership Competencies in DNP Practice Residencies

Abstract

Session presented on Monday, September 19, 2016: A void exists in exceptional leadership within health care. Dye and Garmin (2015) underscore the need to develop leaders in an unpredictable complex health care environment filled with changes in reimbursement and increasingly limited in resources. DNP prepared nursing leaders may be an integral part in filling this gap given their expertise in translational science and clinical expertise. Yet many DNP prepared nurses have not envisioned themselves as leaders in the health care arena. AACN (2015) mandates that practice experiences for DNP students incorporate all eight of the DNP Essentials. Moreover, inclusion of inter and intra professional collaboration, application and synthesis of learned material, and development of leadership roles and abilities within the health care setting are paramount in the practice experience. To accomplish these goals one potential method of instruction and evaluation may center on a specific DNP practice experience focusing on advanced nursing leadership either at the clinician level or at the systems level of intervention. To expound, structure, and validate the experience, a leadership narrative modeled on the framework of clinical case narratives but focusing on leadership characteristics, roles, and abilities within a direct or indirect patient care setting, may be designed. These combined narratives and practicum experiences in turn may reflect each of the eight DNP Essentials and thus exemplify a culminating practice experience for DNP leaders. The DNP practice residency with the corresponding leadership narrative for the doctorally-prepared nursing leader is an educational experiential method in which DNP students develop the critical leadership characteristics and skills needed for the challenges faced by health care in the 21st century. By identifying the key competencies of effective leadership and exploring the application of those characteristics in a safe, structured, and monitored real-world environment, students are able to experience practically the role of nursing leader. Through research and integration of evidence based leadership literature and research, DNP student leaders develop the skills to formulate excellent decisions, implement collaborative strategies between intra and interpersonal professionals, and identify gaps in leadership knowledge and abilities. Building on these leadership characteristics and competencies through the leadership narrative validates the DNP student leadership growth and thus fulfills a large portion of the AACN DNP Essentials related to leadership. Moreover, the practicum experience and metacognition through the narrative equips the DNP graduate to systematically impact health care at the individual, family, community, national, or global setting. A void exists in exceptional leadership within health care. Dye and Garmin (2015) underscore the need to develop leaders in an unpredictable complex health care environment filled with changes in reimbursement and increasingly limited in resources. DNP prepared nursing leaders may be an integral part in filling this gap given their expertise in translational science and clinical expertise. Yet many DNP prepared nurses have not envisioned themselves as leaders in the health care arena. AACN (2015) mandates that practice experiences for DNP students incorporate all eight of the DNP Essentials. Moreover, inclusion of inter and intra professional collaboration, application and synthesis of learned material, and development of leadership roles and abilities within the health care setting are paramount in the practice experience. To accomplish these goals one potential method of instruction and evaluation may center on a specific DNP practice experience focusing on advanced nursing leadership either at the clinician level or at the systems level of intervention. To expound, structure, and validate the experience, a leadership narrative modeled on the framework of clinical case narratives but focusing on leadership characteristics, roles, and abilities within a direct or indirect patient care setting, may be designed. These combined narratives and practicum experiences in turn may reflect each of the eight DNP Essentials and thus exemplify a culminating practice experience for DNP leaders. The DNP practice residency with the corresponding leadership narrative for the doctorally-prepared nursing leader is an educational experiential method in which DNP students develop the critical leadership characteristics and skills needed for the challenges faced by health care in the 21st century. By identifying the key competencies of effective leadership and exploring the application of those characteristics in a safe, structured, and monitored real-world environment, students are able to experience practically the role of nursing leader. Through research and integration of evidence based leadership literature and research, DNP student leaders develop the skills to formulate excellent decisions, implement collaborative strategies between intra and interpersonal professionals, and identify gaps in leadership knowledge and abilities. Building on these leadership characteristics and competencies through the leadership narrative validates the DNP student leadership growth and thus fulfills a large portion of the AACN DNP Essentials related to leadership. Moreover, the practicum experience and metacognition through the narrative equips the DNP graduate to systematically impact health care at the individual, family, community, national, or global setting.