An exclusive interview: The DNP modeling collaborative leadership & creating dedicated space for DNPs of color

The DNPs of Color is a 501(c)3 nursing nonprofit organization. Our mission is to serve DNPS of color through networking, mentorship, and advocacy, and to increase diversity in doctoral studies, clinical practice, and leadership. That's a mouthful, but the overall vision is to simply diversify nursing in the doctorate of nursing practice realm. DNPs of Color is my passion, and I created it during my own doctoral experience. I went to a predominately white institution and I was, at the time, the only black woman in my cohort. I came with the lived experience of being a Black woman in America, and then you add on the layer of growing up in a single-parent-family household, and then you add on the layer of being the first in your family getting your doctorate, and what does that mean? All the different layers of pressure that you put on yourself to be successful, to prove yourself in that space, that you're worthy of being in that space. I really wanted a community that had similar lived experiences so we can share and encourage each other. I couldn't really find the specific niche of nurses of color getting their DNP, so I created a Facebook group just for the sake of venting and supporting each other, and then it grew beyond my expectations. So many people came with similar experiences, a similar desire for community. I’m not saying my institution didn't offer me any support - I had a wonderful experience during my doctoral studies - but I just had a different lived experience that I needed additional support with. Fast forward to today, we've been operational since May 2020 and our community has grown to nearly 1,800 folks in our private Facebook and LinkedIn community. We just hosted our first virtual conference back in October, which was a huge hit. I was only expecting 60 people and we had over 200 people registered, which was absolutely amazing. We had the keynote done by Dr. Kenya Beard, which was phenomenal. Seeing the energy around the conference validated the need for a space for this group of nursing professionals. A lot of the feedback we got from the conference was that it was a safe space: they felt validated, they felt seen, and they were inspired, because they saw other DNPs of color presenting and sharing their professional stories. They finally felt like they belonged in a professional space that elevated and represented their voice and experience.

Dr. Danielle McCamey got her BS in nursing from the University of Virginia, and started her nursing career at Georgetown University Hospital. Shortly afterwards, she obtained her MS from Georgetown University, specializing in acute care advanced practice, and went on to earn a doctorate in nursing practice from Georgetown University, where her dissertation focused on integration of palliative care screening of neurosurgical patients on admissions. She has over 16 years of critical care nursing experience and nearly a decade as an acute nurse practitioner. Currently, she works as the Chief Advanced Practice Provider of the Preanesthesia Testing Department and Senior Advanced Practice Provider in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. In 2019, she was inducted as a fellow in the American College of Chest Physicians. Danielle is the founder, CEO and president of DNPs of Color, Inc., and was inspired to create DNPs of Color because she wanted to create a space, a community for DOCs to elevate themselves, the nursing profession and communities through the richness of our diversity.

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