Doctor of nursing practice in public health leadership

Background and Issues: Challenges to the capacity of nurses to be leaders in healthcare are at the center of controversy across the country. Public health nursing practice within the framework of a changing healthcare system demand that nurses be prepared in the core disciplines of public health. Description: Public health nurses concentrate on disease and injury prevention by mobilizing communities to address health issues and by interdisciplinary and community participation in the provision of the ten essential public health services. By preparing public health nursing leaders who will be the future of population-based care, this large HSC university will offer nursing and public health courses in collaboration with another system school of public health for a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree in public health leadership. Lessons Learned: Interdisciplinary collaboration and team science approaches are critical for improving the health of the US. To change the disciplinary silos in academic institutions we must cross biomedical and behavioral specialties through collaborative endeavors. This paper focuses on the importance and the critical components of doctoral nursing education in public health for evidence based public health nursing practice. Recommendations: Public health nursing leaders should receive education in the core disciplines of public health, methods for conducting population research or program evaluation, and be eligible for certification in both public health and nursing. DNP programs will be a critical part of advancing nursing science and practice in the future.