Physician and Advanced Practice Nurse Collaboration: The DNP Scholarly Project - an Emerging Quality Improvement Opportunity

Background: Interprofessional collaboration between advanced practice nurses (APNs) and physicians is increasingly recognized as essential for achieving high-quality, patient-centered care and advancing healthcare system improvement. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) scholarly project provides a structured mechanism through which APNs and physicians can collaborate on quality improvement (QI) initiatives that address clinical, operational, and organizational challenges. Purpose: This paper explores the DNP scholarly project as a platform for APN-physician collaboration, examining its role in fostering interprofessional partnerships that improve healthcare quality, patient safety, and system performance. Methods: A narrative review was conducted examining the evolution of APN-physician collaborative practice, the educational purpose and structure of the DNP scholarly project, and the alignment of DNP competencies with quality improvement and systems leadership initiatives. Illustrative examples from a nurse anesthesia DNP program were included to demonstrate practical applications of collaborative QI efforts. Results: The DNP scholarly project supports collaboration across all phases of quality improvement, including problem identification, project design, implementation, and outcome evaluation. Physicians contribute clinical expertise, mentorship, organizational influence, and access to relevant data, while DNP students provide leadership in evidence-based practice, implementation science, and outcomes evaluation. DNP project examples demonstrated how interdisciplinary partnerships can improve clinical outcomes, workflow efficiency, and organizational performance. Additional benefits included strengthened professional relationships, enhanced role clarity, and increased sustainability of quality improvement initiatives. Conclusions: The DNP scholarly project represents an underrecognized opportunity to strengthen APN-physician collaboration while advancing meaningful quality improvement efforts. By leveraging the complementary expertise of both professions, collaborative DNP projects can promote evidence-based practice, facilitate system-level change, and contribute to improved patient outcomes. Greater physician engagement in DNP scholarly work may enhance project success and support the development of sustainable, interprofessional approaches to healthcare improvement.