Book excerpt: Named a 2013 Doody's Core Title! "This is an excellent book for both students and current DNPs. The primary areas it addresses--leadership, healthcare policy, and information technology---are essential for the advanced practice nurse to function as a change agent in today's healthcare environment. The book challenges DNPs to engage in clinical practice to the full scope of their capabilities."--Score: 100, 5 Stars. Doody's Medical Reviews This is the only professional issues-oriented Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) text to fully integrate all eight American Association of Colleges of Nursing DNP competencies into one volume. It defines practice scholarship for the DNP role and facilitates the sound development of key leadership skills that enable DNP graduates to effectively influence politics and health care policy in order to improve patient and population health care outcomes. The text focuses on the educational requirements of DNPs engaged in the arenas of leadership, health care policy, and information technology. It covers the growth and development of the DNP role, particularly in the context of contemporary health care challenges. With a focus on the Capstone Project, the text addresses the relationship of the DNP role to ongoing scholarship. It covers three important essentials of the DNP curriculumóevidence-based practice, health information technology, and outcomes measurementóand how they can be used to transform health care in the 21st century. The textís challenging and thought-provoking content is of particular value not only to students, but also to professors who will welcome the clarity it offers to the highly complex DNP curriculum. Key Features: Simplifies the highly complex DNP curriculum and integrates DNP core competencies throughout Demonstrates the application of core competencies to practice and aggregate care Provides a well-organized supplement to all courses across the DNP curriculum Uses exemplars of students and practicing DNPs to illustrate effective implementation Offers concrete guidance for achieving a thorough understanding of how DNP graduates utilize core competencies