It has become increasingly common for advanced practice registered nurses (“APRNs”) to obtain a doctorate in nursing practice (“DNP”), rather than only a master’s degree. In Ohio, registered nurses (“RNs”) seeking licensure as an APRN must either obtain a master’s or doctoral degree that qualifies them to take the APRN national certification examination.
A question has been commonly raised amongst those APRNs in Ohio who have a DNP; whether they are permitted to use the term “Dr.,” with the qualification that they are an APRN, when introducing themselves to patients. Unfortunately, this is a grey area in the law. Essentially, there is more risk associated with using the term “Dr.” when providing patient care, but there are also good arguments as to why this should be permissible.
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