At various points in your career as a nurse, you have most likely observed significant problems in your practice environment(s). Take a few minutes to think about the problems you have noticed.

Through the DNP degree, candidates develop the tools needed to address practice-related concerns through evidence-based solutions. In this week’s media presentation, Dr. Beechinor and Dr. Stefan discuss this process while sharing their own DNP projects and the needs these projects addressed. Candidates in the PhD program conduct research involving a problem related to practice or another area of professional interest and, as such, often work with DNP-prepared nurses.

To support your doctoral project and growth as a scholar-practitioner, you are required to join a professional nursing organization. Membership in a professional organization offers numerous benefits, including educational endeavors, advocacy opportunities, up-to-date information of interest to the profession, and much more. Some organizations offer scholarships, continuing education units, and a means for disseminating current research findings. In addition, joining a professional organization can help you to become involved in decision making at the organizational level and provide a venue for engaging in social change efforts that benefit your community.

This week’s Assignment serves as your Major Assessment for this course. You identify a DNP project or research topic and select an organization that will facilitate or be useful to you as you engage in your doctoral project (DNP Scholarly project or dissertation research). In addition, the professional nursing organization should be relevant for your current or anticipated professional practice. You then outline plans for participation in the organization and articulate how this could help you meet your professional goals and support your project development.

To prepare:

• DNP students:
  • Reflect on the DNP projects Dr. Beechinor and Dr. Stefan discussed in this week’s media presentation, as well as the DNP Scholarly Project specifications outlined in the AACN Essentials. Also, review the end-of-program requirements you explored for the Assignment due in Week 5.
  • Consider your professional experiences in light of new information you may have encountered in this course. With this in mind, identify a need or change related to a practice environment. Please note that the objective of this activity is to increase your awareness of potential DNP projects; you are not committing to a project idea at this time.
• Consider which professional nursing organization you would like to join and how they organization relate’s to your identified practice need or change or research problem. How might participating in this group support the development of your DNP Scholarly Project?
• There are numerous types of organizations that qualify as professional nursing organizations, including:
  • An organization that focuses on a specific area of clinical practice (e.g., Association of Operating Room Nursing [AORN], American Holistic Nurses Association [AHNA])
  • A state or national nursing organization (e.g., American Nurses Association [ANA] or Texas Nurses Association [TNA])
  • An area of scholarly emphasis (e.g., American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN] or National League for Nursing [NLN])
  • An organization that emphasizes specific groups of nurses (e.g., American Assembly for Men in Nursing [AAMN] or National Association of Hispanic Nurses [NAHN])
• After evaluating these organizations in light of your most salient professional concerns, goals, and doctoral project select one organization to join. Complete the steps necessary for joining this professional organization.

To complete:

• Write a 1-page paper describing a need or change related to a practice environment or a problem that is suitable for research. Include your rationale for why this situation or topic warrants attention.
• Outline your plans for participation in the professional nursing organization, and describe how this will help you to meet your professional goals. Also, consider how the organization may correlate with or support the development of your DNP Scholarly Project in the future.
• Be sure to observe proper APA style for including appendices.