Chris Evans Gartley

What do you think of when you consider the value of nursing? How would you describe nursing’s value to a colleague or a neighbor? Merriam Webster (n.d.) defines value as “the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something”. This article will first focus on professional identity and values, and then will look more closely at the economic value of nursing.

Sometimes an experience is so monumental that it brings clarity and purpose to life. Supporting her stepfather as he chose to research and then consciously plan his death in his waning days because of his terminal illness, brought together many professional and personal experiences for Lisa Vigil Schattinger, MSN, RN. She realized his peaceful death would be unique and beautiful because it perfectly reflected his values and goals.

In 1979, Case Western Reserve University’s (CWRU) Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing created the first practice doctorate in nursing (CWRU, 2023). Since then, the need for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)-prepared nurses has significantly increased. In 2004, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Position Statement on the Practice Doctorate in Nursing outlined the need for more nurses with advanced practice nursing degrees.