Shaping the Future of Healthcare

In considering the question “how are DNP-prepared nurses shaping the future of our healthcare system?” one must consider the functions of the DNP-prepared nurse. One function that immediately emerges to suggest the role of the DNP-prepared nurse in the shaping of future healthcare is as a spearhead or coordinator for “helping implement the successful quality initiatives throughout the hospital” (Jeffers & Astroth, 2013, p. 226). In other words, DNP-prepared nurses will be the figures responsible for implementing hospital-wide initiatives – not just those focused on quality control – and assessing the effectiveness of those initiatives. Shaping the Future of Healthcare

It will be the responsibility of DNP-prepared nurses to identity obstacles and challenges in such initiatives and to determine solutions for those issues. DNP-prepared nurses will be on the forefront of recognizing the need for initiatives and understanding the best practices for implementing those initiatives. Another function of the DNP-prepared nurse is that such a nurse has obtained skills which allow them to perform more effectively in business environments (Swanson & Stanton, 2013). Such environments are inevitable in healthcare institutions; while nurses don’t usually receive business training, teaching nurses those skills is preferable to trying to teach individuals with business backgrounds the complexities of healthcare and medicine. It makes more sense to teach someone with a comprehensive healthcare background – like a nurse – the skills to make meaningful decisions on the business side of issues. Shaping the Future of Healthcare