Journal of Professional Nursing 51 (2024) 58–63

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Journal of Professional Nursing

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jpnu

Consistent scholarship standards among DNP-prepared faculty needed:

Actionable insights
Jayne Jennings Dunlap, DNP a, *, Julee Waldrop, DNP b, Rosalie Mainous, PHD c,
Cindy Zellefrow, DNP d, Cindy Beckett, PhD d, Bernadette Mezurek Melnyk, PhD d
a
Texas Woman’s University, 6700 Fannin Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
b
Duke University, Box 3322 Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
c
University of Kentucky, 315 A College of Nursing Building 751 Rose Street, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
d
The Ohio State University, Heminger Hall, Suite 270, 1577 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: DNP-prepared faculty report challenges and barriers to achieving success in academic roles when criteria for
Doctor of nursing practice promotion includes scholarship. The purpose of this evidence-based initiative was to explore thoughtful schol­
Clinical faculty arship standards for DNP-prepared faculty which can be adapted and transferred across academic institutions
Promotion
with the goal of elevating faculty scholarship. Given a paucity of available research evidence, a review and
Scholarship standards
Best practices
synthesis of non-research evidence was conducted. DNP scholarship standards from high-ranking intuitions were
critically appraised, and this evidence, along with the diverse and collective expertise of the authors, was
translated into recommendations for an inclusive model of rigor for DNP-prepared faculty scholarship. A tem­
plate for appraising the scholarship of DNP-prepared faculty based on strategic evaluation of impact is included.
Academic institutions may use this work to expand the fundamental level of evolving scholarship, determine
parameters, and provide clarity and support to DNP-prepared faculty as they seek to progress in rank.

Introduction achieving success in academic roles that require scholarship for pro­
motion (Oermann et al., 2016; Smeltzer et al., 2015). In 2012, Nicholes
Nurses who have earned the doctor of nursing practice degree (DNP) and Dyer surveyed randomly chosen PhD-trained faculty and deans of
are increasingly being hired into ranked faculty positions (primarily at DNP programs on the perceived feasibility of granting tenure eligibility
the assistant professor level) due to the nurse faculty shortage (American to nurses with DNP degrees; the consensus of those surveyed was that
Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2022). In most universities DNP-prepared faculty would need to meet criteria similar to that
and college institutions, such faculty are ineligible for tenure and placed required of PhD-trained faculty (Nicholes and Dyer, 2012). This attitude
into a non-tenure track with the primary responsibility of teaching continues to be pervasive in academia and has led to burnout and
(Agger et al., 2014; Oermann et al., 2016); however, as members of disillusion among nurses with the DNP degree, who often receive un­
academia, they are required to provide service, produce scholarship, and equal support and resources to achieve these criteria (Fang & Bednash,
(if they teach nurse practitioner students) maintain a clinical practice 2017). Of particular concern, some DNP-prepared nurses have reported
(Gonzales et al., 2022). Many of these non-tenure track faculty teach in encountering a lack of respect and feeling marginalized and under­
DNP programs. If promotion is available to them, the standards applied valued as they attempt to integrate into the culture of academia (Bice
are often adapted from tenure-track criteria, although typically with a et al., 2019; Englund & Lancaster, 2021).
lesser focus on obtaining funding. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing
(AACN), the DNP degree program offers “an alternative to research-
Background focused doctoral programs. DNP-prepared nurses are well-equipped to
fully implement the science developed by nurse researchers prepared to
DNP-prepared faculty have reported challenges and barriers to PhD and research-focused nursing doctorates” (AACN, 2023). The work

* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: jdunlap1@twu.edu (J.J. Dunlap), julee.waldrop@duke.edu (J. Waldrop), Rosalie.Mainous@uky.edu (R. Mainous), zellefrow.2@osu.edu
(C. Zellefrow), beckett.107@osu.edu (C. Beckett), melnyk.15@osu.edu (B.M. Melnyk).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2024.01.009
Received 3 April 2023; Received in revised form 15 January 2024; Accepted 25 January 2024
Available online 2 March 2024
8755-7223/© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
J.J. Dunlap et al. Journal of Professional Nursing 51 (2024) 58–63

of faculty prepared with the DNP degree should be devoted to practice Table 1
scholarship, including evidence-based practice and evidence-based Search documentation table
practice quality improvement (Waldrop, Dunlap, 2024a). Database Results Included Excluded
There has been considerable confusion surrounding the differentia­
PubMed 11 1 10
tion of DNP and PhD scholarship (Jenkins et al., 2021). The AACN de­ CINAHL Complete 13 4 9
scribes scholarship for the nursing profession as the communication of Nursing & Allied Health 26 1 25
knowledge that informs clinical practice, nursing education, policy, and Collection (ProQuest)
healthcare delivery, with the hallmark attribute of scholarship being the Academic Search Complete 6 0 6
(EBSCOhost)
cumulative impact of the scholar’s work on the field of nursing and ScienceDirect 23 0 23
health care (AACN, 2018). This broadly inclusive description has raised Professional Development 0 0 0
concerns that it could support a diminished quality of contributions; it Collection (EBSCOhost)
has been noted, for example, that precepting students or developing ERIC (EBSCOhost) 7 0 7
Google Scholar (Search Engine) 10 10 0
evidence-based teaching strategies could constitute scholarship
Internet Searches 14 14 0
(Hartjes, 2018; Ramirez et al., 2022). (Gray Lit)
This article (a) explores current standards for DNP-prepared faculty Literature Mapping
scholarship, and (b) provides suggestions, transferable across academic PubMed 27 (no keyword 27 0
institutions, aimed at elevating this scholarship to increase its positive searching)
Scopus 2 (no keyword 2 0
impact on academia and healthcare systems. searching) citation
counting
Methods Total 139 59 80

Following the steps of evidence-based practice (Melnyk et al., 2014),

Universities have varied tracks for DNP-prepared faculty, including
we identified the problem and developed the following question with
clinical and tenure positions; therefore, we determined that a sampling
which to search the evidence: For nurse faculty prepared with the DNP
of exemplar schools’ appointment and promotion guidelines might
degree, what practices demonstrate impact and clear criteria for schol­
provide some evidence of current standards for scholarship. The top
arship? (Waldrop, Dunlap, 2024b). A search of the evidence, including
MSN and DNP programs listed by US News and World Report (2023)
both research evidence and other evidence, such as guidelines, was
were used as a starting point. Geographically dispersed programs whose
conducted. Results were synthesized and combined with the authors’
DNP faculty’s appointment and promotion guidelines for clinical track
expertise to develop recommendations for practice changes that support
faculty were easily accessible online were collected for a purposive
DNP-prepared faculty scholarship standards and clarify their impact.
sample. It is important to note that scholarship expectations flow from
Guided by the search question, the search strategy was developed in
the multifactorial mission of the parent university and of the college or
collaboration with a health sciences librarian. Search terms included the
department in which the nursing program is housed.
following: (dnp OR “doctor of nursing practice”), (scholarship OR
A review of these appointment and promotion documents revealed
“practice scholarship”), (faculty OR “assistant professor” OR “associate
marked similarity to traditional criteria for promotion for tenure in all
professor” OR professor OR professorate), (dnp-prepared OR “doctorally
areas except external funding (e.g., NIH or NINR grants) (see Table 2).
prepared”), “faculty development”, (clinical or “clinical track”), nurs*,
Boyer’s model of scholarship is the evident framework in these docu­
career, rank, promotion, hiring, (standards OR criteria). PubMed,
ments: the categories of teaching, scholarship, and service are empha­
CINAHL Complete, Nursing and Allied Health Premium, ScienceDirect,
sized, with the occasional option for practice, and progressive
Academic Search Complete Professional Development Collection, ERIC
accomplishment is expected.
databases were searched for the years 2000–2023. Literature mapping
In general, at the assistant professor level, (a) the faculty member
and snowballing search methods were used to identify additional liter­
demonstrates competence or effectiveness with the potential for or
ature within Scopus and Google Scholar. The literature search occurred
promise of excellence in all areas, and (b) clinical expertise is high­
from December 4, 2022, to January 13, 2023, and employed the use of
lighted at the local level. Promotion to associate professor requires the
MeSH terms, CINAHL headings, keywords, synonyms, and gray litera­
faculty member’s performance to reach the level of excellence and
ture searching. The concept of Doctor of Nursing Practice does not exist as
include leadership activities and a reputation at the regional/national
a MeSH term or in CINAHL headings. When searching “DNP,” we used a
level. To attain the level of full professor, excellence must be sustained,
phrase search and the acronym. The concept of scholarship in the liter­
with an increase in (or increased potential for) national/international
ature was also difficult to parse out as it was primarily defined as
leadership endeavors. Scholarship can occur in all categories (practice,
financial incentives rather than academic output or achievement. To be
teaching, and service), but the criteria for scholarship is primarily
included, a report must have included an objective assessment or eval­
addressed within the scholarship category.
uation of standards of faculty scholarship for nurses in non-tenure track
roles who have earned the DNP degree. Reports were excluded if they
Discussion
addressed tenure track criteria for promotion or faculty prepared with
the PhD degree. Titles and abstracts of a total of 139 articles were
Our literature search for evidence on scholarship criteria for DNP-
reviewed; of these, 80 were excluded, and 59 were fully read and
prepared faculty revealed little; however, our synthesis of clinical
reviewed (Table 1).
track promotion guidelines provides a foundation on which to build.
Numerous assumptions serve as the foundational concepts for tiered
Evidence synthesis
promotional criteria: First and foremost, there is a strongly held
assumption that productivity and quality will increase as one’s rank
The full text review of the 59 reports revealed a lack of defined
increases; therefore, single statements on expectations should be
standards for DNP-prepared faculty scholarship. Many articles
capable of being tiered to allow specificity. Collegiality is also assumed,
addressed the problem and barriers to scholarship as described in the
as the modern complexity of healthcare delivery requires that nursing
Background Section, but no reports on standards for scholarship or its
faculty work in interprofessional and transdisciplinary teams to answer
use in promotion for DNP-prepared or other non-tenure track nursing
the greatest challenges (Trautman et al., 2018).
faculty were found in the literature. Based on evidence-based practice
Scholarly outcomes represent the endeavors of faculty which have
methods, we next searched non-research and other types of evidence.

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J.J. Dunlap et al. Journal of Professional Nursing 51 (2024) 58–63

Table 2
Promotion criteria for scholarship – non-tenure track
University Rank

Assistant Professor Associate Professor Full Professor

Duke University Potential for scholarship with a publication Excellence in scholarship and leadership of Sustained record of leadership and scholarship
(2023) record others
Emory University Emerging trajectory of academic scholarship Evidence of scholarship in area of focus Scholarship in focused field
(2020)
Rush University Clinical focused expertise Recognition beyond college for clinical Regional / national/ international recognition
(2023) expertise
Johns Hopkins Develops independent focused area of Establishes and is recognized nationally for Recognized nationally and internationally for leadership
University (n. scholarship; state/regional level independent focused area of scholarship; in focused area of scholarship; provides leadership in
d.) national level defining, promoting, and disseminating scholarly work at
a national/international level
New York Effective clinical practice/teaching Excellent contributions with a local/regional Leadership and a strong national reputation of scholarship
University reputation of scholarship
(2019)
University of Promise of productivity; Progress toward a record of productivity Established record of productivity
Iowa (n.d.) Clinical expert beyond clinical service
University of Potential for excellence with demonstrated Demonstrated excellence in practice scholarship Sustained excellence and substantial contribution with
Maryland competence in a focused area of practice productivity; PI or C–I on competitive external competitive funding, publications, and leadership on
(2020) knowledge. Recognized as an expert in the funding; publications and national recognition national/international level. Mentors.
region.
University of Clinical focused expertise Sustained scholarship National recognized scholarship
Michigan
(2020)
University of Knowledge of clinical area Competence in scholarship Recognized expertise in focused area
Washington
(2021)
Vanderbilt Competence in practice focus Leadership activities Transformation of practice
University (n.
d.)
The Ohio State Evidence of developing area of scholarship Convincing evidence of excellence and impact Sustained, convincing records of national or international
University including examples of evidence-based of high-quality scholarship program scholarship excellence
(2019) practice or quality improvement

been disseminated, such as policy papers, clinical guidelines, and pub­

lications that advance nursing knowledge, practice, education, or inte­
gration. Dissemination should be broad, far-reaching, relevant, and have
an impact. Dissemination in the form of presentations is scalable in
terms of the audience reached: local, state, regional, national, and in­
ternational. Peer review adds a measure of rigor. Presentations should
move beyond opinion and be evidence-based. As one rises in rank, the
level of dissemination should rise accordingly.
Impact must be measured through a variety of metrics. Quality
should be assessed over quantity. Each university outlines various levels
of impact given its resources, mission, institution type (e.g., academic
medical center, small liberal arts college) or, possibly, Carnegie Classi­
fication. Impact increases with each rank as more time is devoted to
scholarship, for which increased administrative support is essential. For
example, the ability to attend professional meetings to give pre­
sentations and dialogue with national leaders is critical to impact, as is
freedom within one’s workload to engage on national committees, serve
in leadership positions, and lead evidence-based practice and evidence-
based quality improvement initiatives. There is an assumption
embedded in the framework for scholarship productivity that the culture
and administration within the college will support the faculty’s schol­
arly activities, including by providing time in their workload. Fig. 1 il­
lustrates the importance of variables (i.e., rigor, dissemination, quality,
leadership, and increasing expectations for rank) that support impact as
a central tenet; the rising star symbolizes the emergence of DNP scholars
in the arena of higher education and the growing impact (in areas of
education, service/policy, clinical practice, population health, or policy
outcomes) of their valuable contributions through scholarship.

Recommendations
Fig. 1. Foundational Criteria for Scholarship Impact.
The recommendations offered herein, which may be used to evaluate
the demonstration of impact of DNP-prepared faculty scholarship, are
founded on the limited evidence base and our experiences as seasoned

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J.J. Dunlap et al. Journal of Professional Nursing 51 (2024) 58–63

faculty of nursing with much experience teaching in and leading DNP experience and consider impact on the next generation of nurse faculty.
programs. Given the current wide variance in promotion guidelines and A systematic structure to guide expectations of scholarship for DNP-
lack of specific standards in academia for DNP-prepared faculty, we prepared faculty and their collection of data to support the case for its
sought to present our recommendations in a modifiable framework impact is needed (Stager et al., 2022). We offer Tables 3 and 4 as tem­
generic enough to be used to evaluate DNP-prepared faculty on clinical plates to provide guidance on how DNP-prepared faculty can demon­
or tenure track lines. Given that institutional and nursing program strate the impact of their scholarship.
missions and resources differ considerably, institution-specific modifi­ Although not included in an example table, scholarship related to
cations across universities or programs of nursing will likely be required. book chapters may also be very impactful. A contributed chapter in a
We recommend aspiring to move the evaluation of faculty scholar­ textbook can be quantified based on the textbook (e.g., number of copies
ship away from a count of products and toward a consideration of the sold, number of programs using it, awards received). Contribution as an
impact of the work (e.g., improvement of population health outcomes, author or editor of a book can be evaluated in a similar way. Books and
policy change). It must be remembered that DNP-prepared individuals chapters have citations that are indexed (e.g., in the SCOPUS database).
should be expert at translating research evidence into clinical practice to Descriptions of oral and poster presentations should include the type
improve outcomes. Although h-index or impact factors are additional (e.g., peer-reviewed, invited, keynote), and the hosting organization and
metrics that can be used for publication impact (Broome et al., 2019), a its reach (local, state, regional, national, international). When available,
more holistic evaluation of the diversity of scholarly products developed a description of the audience and number of attendees may support the
by the engagement of DNP-prepared faculty in all areas of scholarship is strength of dissemination and offer additional insight on impact. Infor­
optimal. Innovation also should be recognized but is rarely built into mation from presentations is typically available from conference orga­
promotion criteria. nizers, either automatically or by request. For example, two DNP-
Accessing the overall impact of the faculty member’s scholarly prepared faculty authors of this article recently presented a live webi­
contribution is important, and data must be carefully interpreted using nar to attendees from 21 countries. Following the webinar, the pre­
thoughtful consideration. Contributions to disseminated evidence-based senters received access to additional viewing statistics from the hosting
practice and evidence-based quality improvement initiatives, guide­ organization via email link, which showed over 300 webinar “visits”
lines, and policies should be noted, as these are the mainstays of within 2 months of the presentation posting. The inclusion of presen­
scholarship for DNP-prepared faculty. Historically, promotion criteria tation evaluation scores from attendees is another metric of quality, as
for DNP-prepared faculty have not considered the integration of are any special awards or distinctions that were earned, such as an
disseminated innovation efforts into academic nursing (O’Hara et al., excellence in scholarship poster award.
2022), yet doing so is essential if nursing leaders are to face the chal­
lenges of an evolving healthcare landscape. Support
Journal selection influences overall impact efforts. For example,
publication in a practice-focused journal may be the right choice to All of the above aspirations will come to naught unless DNP-prepared
target a clinically focused audience, yet practice-oriented publications faculty are viewed as valuable by nursing administration and supported
often have low traditional citation counts, which affects the impact even accordingly (Kesten et al., 2022). All faculty deserve to be treated with
of works that are frequently read and used to inform actual healthcare respect and not confronted with unrealistic and unsupported scholarship
transformation. Additionally, focused articles, particularly in specialty expectations; doing otherwise contributes to the nurse faculty shortage.
areas, generally have lower citation rates than review articles, which In a nationwide Delphi study, requirements for faculty development of
often establish cost or prevalence insights, making quantification of scholarship applicable to the DNP-prepared faculty member included
cumulative impact difficult. For example, the impact factor (represen­ having clear expectations, a dedicated leader/organizational support,
tative of number of citations and accessible to faculty on the journal support services (e.g., statistician, editing), active mentoring, a culture
website) of Nursing Outlook is currently 3.9 versus the Journal of Peri- of scholarship, and protected time/workload reduction (McPherson
Anesthesia Nursing which is 0.343 (Clarivate, 2023). In addition to et al., 2021).
journal impact factor and primary audience, we recommend the inclu­ We found some programs in the literature which demonstrated
sion of alternative metrics including reads, downloads, and social media support with external funding or for only certain types of faculty
messaging; much of this information can be obtained online from pub­ (Kleinpell et al., 2021; Meaux et al., 2022; Minnick et al., 2018); Pinto
lishers (via PubMed, CINAHL, or SCOPUS databases). Practice journals et al., 2021); however, we are advocating for a fundamental change in
are often more widely read by practitioners, who collectively publish how DNP-prepared, non-tenure track faculty are supported as scholars
less often than faculty members. with a teaching workload. We recommend the following steps toward
It is important to note that publication lag for assistant professors effecting equitable administrative support for DNP-prepared faculty
who disseminate in the beginning of their appointment may render scholarship:
citation counts alone less meaningful as measures of cumulative impact.
Strong citation frequency may be a more reliable indicator of impact 1. DNP doctoral programs must have buy-in from the faculty as a
measurement for candidates seeking the rank of full professor (Hack whole, and faculty who teach within them should be publishing
et al., 2010). Notation of a mentorship role (now being assumed scholars themselves.
frequently by DNP graduates) will allow evaluators to recognize

Table 3
Written Works (Disseminated)
Citation Authorship Citation Index Journal Altmetrics Mentorship Other Evidence
Impact
Factor or
Book

Include Place in authorship Number of traditional Include Number(s) of complementary Structured or List of works disseminated through
full order. For example, citations identified in a primary metrics including social media formal nontraditional means, including
citation first author - last publication index such as audience shares and mentions, blogs, mentorship role policy or white papers, which
listing author Medline, Google Scholar, mainstream media coverage on written work provide impact beyond academy in
or Scopus transforming healthcare

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J.J. Dunlap et al. Journal of Professional Nursing 51 (2024) 58–63

Table 4
Presentations and Posters (Disseminated)
Presentation Title/Type Organization Reach Attendance Peer Evaluation Special Recognition Notes

Title of presentation or podium AACN, Sigma, Local, State, Regional, Number of attendees with Audience Presentation awards Additional impact-
poster; keynote, invited, peer- NONPF, etc. National, or specification of type of ranking, numeric or distinctions earned related
reviewed; location International audience scores information

2. Administrators must allow time within the annual workload for article will magnify and expand unless appropriate actions are taken.
scholarship for faculty teaching within DNP programs. Considering the rapidly changing practice and higher education land­
3. DNP-prepared faculty should be expected to perform the scholarship scapes, and the dramatic increase in DNP-prepared faculty in nursing
of practice rather than original research. programs, clearer guidelines for scholarship for DNP-prepared faculty
are urgently needed.
There are several anecdotal examples of equity-informed change Teaching-focused institutions must be subject to standards regarding
respecting DNP-prepared faculty. The Ohio State University College of scholarship if they offer doctoral programs. Faculty must be academi­
Nursing provides 20 % FTE for clinical faculty as well as statistical and cally and experientially prepared to teach and support students in
editorial support for their scholarship (personal communication). At the achieving the competencies within such programs, including clinical
University of Kentucky, all DNP-prepared faculty teaching at the scholarship (AACN, 2021). Scholarship differs significantly from the
doctoral level, many of whom are on a special tenure track line, receive scholarly use of evidence to inform clinical practice (AACN, 2018). The
time in their workload for scholarship; additionally, a statistician and delivery of doctoral-level education requires that institutions with DNP
editor are available to assist them, as are annual writing retreats for programs commit to the development of their DNP faculty as scholars
manuscript support (personal communication). (Dunlap et al., 2023; Mainous et al., 2023); only this commitment will
result in graduates of DNP programs prepared to perform at the level of
Mentorship competence their degree should ensure to produce future clinical
scholarship improvements. To realize a discipline-wide movement to­
Formal mentorship programs have been recommended (Cullen et al., ward increased scholarship impact and help students to achieve at the
2017), with special attention paid to novice nurse educators (Calaguas, expected level, we encourage DNP-prepared nursing faculty to engage in
2023). Although much has been written about the importance of active scholarship and act as role models.
mentorship for academic faculty, limited literature exists on the out­ An urgent paradigm shift is needed to recognize and work toward
comes of mentorship for DNP-prepared faculty. One study of an internal elevation of DNP-prepared faculty scholarship in the current context of
3-year mentorship program for clinical non-tenure track faculty re­ nursing education (Butler, 2023). Collaborations in scholarly work will
ported improvements in scholarly production, including increases in benefit both DNP- and PhD-prepared faculty. We invite nursing ad­
peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, awards, and ministrators, DNP leaders, and nursing faculty to engage in the ongoing
grants (Shieh & Cullen, 2019). The Ohio State University College of work of achieving and exceeding DNP scholarship standards. Applica­
Nursing has a Teaching Innovation, Excellence, and Scholarship Acad­ tion of the framework proposed in this document will differ by institu­
emy that includes both DNP- and PhD-prepared faculty (personal tion yet could improve academic outcomes and ultimately influence
communication). A newly funded external mentorship program model health systems.
was recently introduced for DNP faculty at Texas Woman’s University
(TWU) with positive initial outcomes (Dunlap et al., 2023); the impact of CRediT authorship contribution statement
the TWU model is largely supported by a grant with little institutional
financial outlay. Such programs address the need for scholarship men­ Jayne Jennings Dunlap: Conceptualization, Methodology, Project
toring with clear, time-bound goals and active engagement at set administration, Resources, Writing – original draft, Writing – review &
intervals. editing, Visualization. Julee Waldrop: Conceptualization, Methodol­
ogy, Resources, Supervision, Visualization, Writing – original draft,
Limitations Writing – review & editing. Rosalie Mainous: Conceptualization,
Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Visuali­
There is a paucity of literature to guide best practices for scholarship zation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Cindy
evaluation for DNP-prepared faculty in academia. Although we provide Zellefrow: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – original draft.
some evidence from nursing programs on criteria for non-tenure track Cindy Beckett: Methodology, Writing – original draft. Bernadette
(e.g., clinical, education, or practice track) faculty, it may not apply to Mezurek Melnyk: Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing –
the vast spectrum of academic institutions, each with its own unique set review & editing.
of standards, or to those institutions with limited emphasis on faculty
scholarship. Additionally, this limited evidence is based on documents References
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