‘You can’t be what you don’t see’: How DNPs of Color is amplifying … – Becker’s Hospital Review

When Danielle McCamey, DNP, CRNP, founded DNPs of Color in 2020, she wanted to create an organization that could move the needle in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion in healthcare not just offer more lip service to reiterate the challenges affecting patients in marginalized communities.

Dr. McCamey, assistant dean of clinical practice and relationships at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and CEO and president of DOC, which has 2,000 members around the world, said the group's vision of "a beautiful, diverse community doctoral nursing practice" is rooted in networking, mentorship and advocacy.

"Networking is important because of the way our society works; it's about who you know, who can help you get to certain places," Dr. McCamey told Becker's. "Additionally, we know the value of mentorship is gold. Mentorship is the answer to the million dollar question about how to be successful. Having someone that you aspire to be like by your side, and knowing they can help you along the way, is key in all aspects in all phases of your life and career."

The voices of nurses of color have been "silenced" or have been "underrepresented" in healthcare, she said, noting she wants DOC to help change that. She added that, with the DNP being a newer degree, "a lot of healthcare organizations don't understand the value of the degree as a whole."

DOC's third pillar, advocacy, is where the organization can really highlight the value DNPs bring to healthcare. "We believe that while we are advocating to encourage nurses to get their DNP, we can also be resources to support those nurses who are already working toward the degree," Dr. McCamey said.

Becker's spoke with Dr. McCamey about what DOC is doing to lift the voices of DNPs of color into conversations where decisions are being made. It starts with building a more diverse nursing workforce and continues directly into hospitals, where they can be patients' "cultural ambassadors" who truly epitomize DEI in real time.

Editor's note: Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Question: From the DNP's perspective, why does DEI "representation" matter?

Danielle McCamey: You can't be what you don't see. If there aren't individuals of diverse backgrounds in particular spaces where we need diversity, there's no inspiration for nurses or people who want to enter the field to pursue doctoral studies. There's no belief that you could also be in my role. As a dean, I get countless emails from students who are so inspired just by my presence of being a Black woman in a leadership role.

Q: How is DOC encouraging nurses of color to pursue their DNP?

DM: Currently, our organization is centered around nurses who have already earned their DNP. However, we just recently started being more intentional with our programming to highlight the value of being DNP-prepared. We are providing space, particularly at our conferences, for those who have the degree to share their scholarly knowledge.

We also want to demonstrate the depth and breadth of DNPs and what we can do from academia to clinical practice to leadership. We are focusing on incorporating opportunities for scholarships. We are building mentorship opportunities for those who have an interest in doctoral studies to make sure they have the support they need to decide if they will become a DNP or a PhD.

Q: For patients of color, does the concept of "mirroring" provide a benefit?

DM: There's a lot of literature that supports the idea that when healthcare professionals look like their patients in diverse communities, it actually saves lives. It decreases rates of mortality and morbidity.

Also, there is a connection that comes from meeting patients where they are. There's some unspoken language and understanding that you can't have if you don't see patients through that lens or see them from that perspective. It comes from having it as part of your own lived experience.

I can think of countless stories, from my career as a nurse, where we had an all-white medical staff, who didn't reflect what the patient population looks like, coming in explaining things to Black patients. Once they leave, the patients would look at me as the Black nurse practitioner and ask me to explain exactly what was said.

Many patients of color are labeled as "difficult" for refusing care. That's a defense mechanism. The patients just haven't quite understood what was said because we haven't met them where they are in terms of their cultural language, understandings and considerations. I've had to act as a cultural ambassador to explain to patients what was being said to explain the recommendations being made.

They are better able to feel trust when they know someone really understands them. I have the demeanor that they can relate to maybe I'm not as aloof as the medical professionals who came in but didn't take the time to connect.

Q: DEI is a hot topic right now. Do you think the needle can be moved in terms of diversity, or is it lip service?

DM: The fact that the social and political events that have underscored the importance of having DEI initiatives has made it more comfortable for us. It allows us to amplify some of the issues and the experiences of being a person of color.

Everyone has a DEI statement, to some degree. Some organizations are trying to make deliberate, transformative changes and for others it's lip service. For me, something is better than nothing. When an organization has the concept of DEI attached to their mission, it offers a good foundation for us to start building and really holding people accountable to their words.

Q: How do you see DOC helping to advance health equity?

DM: Just by our very existence, we're able to create a space for this growing body of nursing professionals who are highly educated and occupy many high-power positions. We are able to have our voices at the table from policy legislation to the boardroom in healthcare.

Many of us are still active in clinical practice. So we're able to focus on issues and put in evidence-based practices to improve them.

Newly graduated DNPs of color focused their projects on closing the gap and health inequities. Many focused on historically racialized and marginalized communities. For example, one initiative was around going to barber shops and talking about the importance of colon cancer screenings. Another one involved creating a farmer's market in the local laundromat because there was a food desert. One was talking about managing racism in the workplace. There are tons of ideas and innovations coming out of this budding group of professionals that are specifically targeting health inequities.

We also found out that 60 percent of our members had not published their work, so we are really encouraging our community to get published. We're creating mentorship programs so that they can get their DNP projects to manuscript and ready for submission. These projects are grounded in translational science and really meet the needs of the current climate of healthcare and how we manage the patients and communities.

Q: What is your goal for DOC in the longer term?

DM: Having a doctoral degree elevates you to different places and spaces and tables and communities and networks that typically have a lot of power and influence. And for me, that's important because if we're in the room, at the table, where the decisions are being made, we can be representing diverse communities with diverse voices. We will be able to have an impact and help to shape the policies and procedures about how we practice and how we care for patients.

My hope is that, as we grow as an organization, we continue to foster the next group of diverse leaders, including academic administrators people who will be in positions of influence to help amplify this voice that either has not been present in these spaces, has been silenced or has been invisible.

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'You can't be what you don't see': How DNPs of Color is amplifying ... - Becker's Hospital Review