University of Rochester School of Nursing to Host 2nd Annual DNP Summit
Building on the success of its inaugural event, the University of Rochester School of Nursing will once again bring together leading voices in nursing education and practice to speak at the 2017 Doctor of Nursing Practice Summit.
The summit, focusing on the impact and value of DNP education, will be held at Helen Wood Hall in the School of Nursing, Friday, Oct. 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Early bird registration is open through Oct. 2. Visit https://goo.gl/tL2yyr to register.
The development and implementation of the DNP degree, a practice doctorate which provides education in advanced nursing evidence-based practice, quality improvement, leadership, health policy, informatics, and systems thinking among other key areas, was a response to national concerns about the quality of care and patient safety, as well as growing expectations related to the educational preparation of health care providers. As clinicians and leaders, DNP-prepared nurses are well-positioned to accelerate the translation of emerging evidence to improve the outcomes of care, challenge conventional approaches to health care delivery, and develop solutions to practice problems.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has recommended that all advanced practice nursing programs transition from the master’s to a doctoral degree, while other national reports have called for the doubling of doctorally prepared nurses by 2020. The University of Rochester School of Nursing convened the first summit last year to help inform nurses and those working in health care about the value and contributions of DNP-prepared nurses, and drew more than 100 attendees to the all-day event.
“The changing demands of today's complex health care environment require that nurses have the highest level of scientific knowledge and practice expertise possible,” said Lydia Rotondo, D.N.P., R.N., C.N.S., director of the UR School of Nursing’s DNP program and associate dean for education and student affairs. “As the nation strives to improve health outcomes and health care delivery, DNPs are prepared to expand the critical role of nurses and become leaders in the health care redesign.”
Rotondo, who will give the welcome address and closing remarks, is among the field’s national and regional leaders participating in this year’s summit. Mary Terhaar, D.N.Sc., R.N., A.N.E.F., F.A.A.N., the Arline H. and Curtis F. Garvin Professor in Nursing Excellence and associate dean of academic affairs at Case Western Reserve University, will give the keynote address, “Achieving DNP Scholarship and Impact.” Terhaar has published two texts used in DNP programs across the country, adapted a tool from industry to facilitate evaluation of rigor in DNP projects, and has disseminated strategies to achieve impact in DNP education.
Kate FitzPatrick, D.N.P., R.N., N.E.A.-B.C., A.C.N.P.-B.C., F.A.A.N., senior vice president and chief nursing officer at the University of Vermont Medical Center and associate dean for interprofessional practice at the University of Vermont College of Nursing and Health Sciences, will present “The DNP as a Pathway to Advancing Executive Nurse Leadership.” Her leadership portfolio includes hospital administration, quality and patient safety, interprofessional clinical leadership, and advanced trauma care. She has expertise in shared governance design and has led innovative approaches to professional nurse peer review.
The event will also include a professional practice panel showcasing DNP practice, led by Holly Brown, D.N.P., R.N., P.M.H.N.P.-B.C., P.M.H.C.S.-B.C., assistant professor of clinical nursing and specialty director of the UR School of Nursing Child/Adolescent Psychiatric NP program.
For more information on the DNP Summit, visit http://son.rochester.edu/academics/dnp/dnp-summit.html.