Advancing Nursing Science and Practice in Unison

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to explore the strengths of collaborative Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) research drawing on the assets of the complementary skill sets, explore examples of current DNP/PhD collaborations, and provide a model for building these partnerships.DesignA DNP and PhD collaboration was examined through case analysis. Courtney and Neiheisel’s model was used as a framework to examine the development, implementation, and evaluation of DNP and PhD collaboration.MethodsThe DNP/PhD collaboration phases were examined using Tuckman’s five-stage model for high-performance team development.ConclusionDoctoral-prepared nurses must understand each other’s background and education to facilitate combined contributions. This exemplar demonstrates the effectiveness of a synergistic relationship in a DNP/PhD collaboration.Clinical RelevanceA collaborative partnership between DNP and PhD nurses creates a practice environment that helps discover, integrate, apply knowledge, and communicate and disseminate it. This same collaborative effort between the two roles has been shown to reduce practice gaps while ultimately improving patient outcomes.