A Proposed Ninth Essential: Supporting Doctor of Nursing Practice Students With Current or Anticipated Roles in Nursing Education.

The doctor of nursing practice (DNP) essentials do not specifically include a teaching competency, yet several require teaching skills. To prepare the future nursing workforce and achieve essential competencies, DNP nurses must be prepared to teach. Despite the assumption that advance practice expertise makes them intuitive teachers, gaps exist in essential faculty development, including evidence-based teaching theory, methodology, and scholarship. In our institution, DNP students expressed interest in future academic and clinical teaching roles. To support these future educators, an innovative course series aligned with National League for Nursing recommendations was developed. Two courses were successfully implemented, with additional coursework planned.