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. 2025 Mar-Apr;73(2):102348.
doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2025.102348. Epub 2025 Jan 22.

Harmonizing excellence: Crafting the nexus of competencies, standards, and degree demands in nurse practitioner education

Lorna Finnegan  1 , Susan Kelly-Weeder  2 , Bimbola F Akintade  3 , J Dwayne Hooks  4 , Shannon Reedy Idzik  5 , Marcy Ainslie  6
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Harmonizing excellence: Crafting the nexus of competencies, standards, and degree demands in nurse practitioner education

Lorna Finnegan et al. Nurs Outlook. 2025 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Nurse practitioner (NP) programs have a long history of producing safe and competent NPs; however, bold, transformative leadership is needed to set a minimum standard for quality NP education to support a 21st-century healthcare system. This paper is a call to action for leaders in NP education to transition NP education to the DNP degree utilizing the 2022 National Task Force Standards for Quality NP Education and a competency-based approach as defined in the 2021 AACN Essentials. There is now an opportunity to redesign healthcare systems with quality and equity as a primary consideration and DNP-prepared NPs are positioned to lead this redesign. The 2022 NTF Standards include several critical changes in clinical hours, oversight of clinical sites, and preparation of NP students to enter clinical sites. By emphasizing competency attainment within NP programs, the 2021 AACN Essentials ensure that NP graduates are practice-ready.

Keywords: DNP degree; Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP); Nurse practitioner; Nurse practitioner education; Quality standards.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest Lorna Finnegan is a current board member-at-large of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and past president of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF). Susan Kelly Weeder is past president of the NONPF. Bimbola Akintade is a current board member-at-large of the NONPF. J. Dwayne Hooks is a past board member-at-large of the NONPF. Shannon Reedy Idzik is the current president and past treasurer of the NONPF. Marcy Ainslie is a NONPF Fellow. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or positions of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

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