November 9, 2025 • 50 mins
In this episode of The Bossy Nurse Podcast, Marsha Battee speaks with Dr. Danielle McCamey, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FCCP, Founder, President, and CEO of DNPs of Color.
They unpack rebranding the DNP and have a candid conversation on identity, impact, and organizing power in nursing.
Find the all the resources mentioned in the show and full details on Dr. McCamey at this link.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:08):
I feel like we have a branding problem.
No one knows exactly what we do,which translates to people not
understanding the value wecontribute, you know, or us not
being able to leverage ourcollective numbers, sheer
numbers of almost five millionnurses to be able to lobby on
(00:29):
policies that advance access tohealthcare and also full scope
practice authority for nursepractitioners.
So we have a branding issue.
And then when you hear DMPs,people are like, okay, what does
DMP stand for?
And what do you mean youtranslate the evidence or the
science?
Like, what does that even mean?
SPEAKER_00 (00:52):
Welcome to the Bossy Nurse Podcast, a show about
nurse creators, innovators, risktakers, and the ideas that shape
their success.
I'm Marcia Batti, and on theshow today, how Dr.
Danielle McCamey turned amissing sense of community in
her graduate program into D ⁇ Psof color, a national
(01:13):
organization advancing diversityin D ⁇ P education, leadership,
and clinical practice.
The Doctor of Nursing Practiceis the newest kid on the block.
In 1979, Case Western Reservelaunched the first
(01:35):
practice-focused doctorate, orND.
By 2004, the AmericanAssociation of Colleges of
Nurses declared the D ⁇ P theterminal practice degree and
urged a shift from a master's toa doctorate for advanced
practice nurses.
Since then, growth has beensteady, about 43,000 students in
(01:57):
2024 and more than 12,000graduates in 2023.
Meanwhile, one learner felt thegap between aspiration and
belonging.
In her DP program, DanielleMcCamey was the only black woman
and questioned her fit.
In response, she started aFacebook group for DPs of Color
that reached about 200 memberswithin the first months.
(02:20):
From there, that seed became DPsof Color, a nonprofit in 2018
with an official launch in 2020.
She led the brand, mission, andthe structure.
But before all of that, her pulltowards care began at home.
Her mother was a home healthnurse, and young Danielle
watched patients suddenlyfeeling better as soon as her
(02:43):
mother worked her magic.
When a counselor said collegewas out of reach, a track coach
said otherwise.
As a result, Danielle applied tomore than 20 schools and was
accepted to each one.
But before she began thatnursing career, Dr.
McCamey explored another option.
SPEAKER_01 (03:07):
Until I actually did a uh, it was called Minority
Medical Education Program, andit was like a summer program
catered to underrepresentedminorities that were interested
in medicine.
And so we did a summer on campusexperience at the University of
Virginia.
And I counted up the amount ofyears it would take for me to
(03:29):
actually start practicing.
And I was like, yeah, I don'tthink that medicine is going to
be my jam.
And I had my mom in my earbecause she did home health
nursing, like, why don't youpursue nursing?
And so when I was a kid, sheused to take me on her nursing
home health things.
(03:50):
And I was incredibly inspired bythe way she was able to
navigate, just rolling up inpeople's houses and checking
their blood pressure and makingsure that they're getting their
meds and whatever else needed tobe done.
So that's how I got the interestin just care of people.
And then of course, growing up,watching like the Cosby show and
stuff, it's like you want to bea physician, blah, blah, blah.
(04:11):
But circle back around tonursing because the time frame
was shorter, but also justrecounting my mom and her role
modeling, the ability to be ableto be in people's spaces and
make connections, and by the endof their visits, them feeling
(04:32):
human again or confident andcompetent to be able to take
care of themselves no matterwhat was going on.
So shortly thereafter, decidedto apply to nursing school.
And I actually applied to a lotof schools because when I was
thinking about college, myguidance counselor had basically
(04:53):
told me because I grew up in asingle parent household that I
wouldn't be able to be acceptedto college.
So I applied to like over 20schools to make sure I got in.
SPEAKER_00 (05:04):
And I know that you actually got into all of those
schools.
SPEAKER_01 (05:07):
I did.
And I made sure the guidancecounselor was aware of my
admissions to all those schoolsas well.
SPEAKER_00 (05:14):
And I'm I'm so amazed that I hear these stories
of people who had teachers orguidance counselors who always
dampened their light about goingto college.
And I hear that story so much.
And I couldn't imagine telling achild that, you know what,
because of your circumstances,you might not get as far as you
want to go.
(05:34):
And how old were you when thathappened?
I was a senior in high school.
Now, did you believe her?
SPEAKER_01 (05:42):
I did, because in my mind, you know, she's the
guidance counselor.
She knows these things, and noone else in my family went to
college.
So I had no frame of reference.
And it wasn't until my trackcoach, you know, because I was
so she literally ripped like thedream and my parade was rained
(06:03):
on, like everything.
I literally took my breath awayin that moment and I had a track
coach that basically was like,Don't don't believe that.
Like you have so many otherqualities about you that
colleges look for.
And you know, because you have alower socioeconomic status, the
(06:24):
game secret is you can getgrants and you can get fee
waivers on these applicationfees.
Like it just was like, oh word,I can use this to my advantage.
And like when he told me thatgame secret, I was like
unstoppable, which is why Iended up applying to like 20
schools.
Because I was like, if I gottapay no fee waivers, like we're
(06:45):
gonna make these applicationswin, you know, rain.
So and that's what I did.
One, because I still had her inthe back of my mind, like,
you're not gonna get into anyschools.
And then two, it was like, Idon't have anything to lose
because I'm not gonna be havingto tap my mom to be like, Can I
get like$10 for that?
It was like, let me just cast awide net.
(07:08):
And I'm so glad for my trackcoach because she extinguished
my fire and he lit it back upand it's been like a raging fire
ever since.
SPEAKER_00 (07:16):
Good for you for um well, good that you had someone
in your corner.
I do want to go back a littlebit.
I've also heard that when youwere going to your mom's
appointments with seeing herclients that she would like put
you in the corner and make surethat you would be quiet.
I know we didn't have iPads backthen, but yeah, but probably
gave you the equivalent and youknow, colors and things like
(07:39):
that.
And I just look at that picturein my mind and it looks like
it's such a fascinating thingbecause how many kids get to go
to work with their parents?
How was that like watching yourmom take care of people and help
them heal as a little girl?
How was that for you?
SPEAKER_01 (07:57):
I thought she was magical.
I was like, my mom is amagician.
We go into people's houses, andthey are not, you know, they're
sick when she gets there andthen they're better when she
leaves.
I was just like, she is magical.
So it was fascinating because Ididn't, you know, I when you're
a kid, like your imaginationjust goes to different places.
(08:20):
And I was like, I want to bemagical.
And so I would see like herstethoscope, and she would have
like her nurse bag and stuff.
And I thought the stethoscopewas like the magic wand.
And I was like, I need thatmagical wand because she's like
putting it on them and then theyfeel better.
So it was just a magicalexperience to witness.
(08:41):
And I feel like being in nursingis magical because you have to
have that ability to connectwith people in their most
vulnerable moments and build upthat trust that they're gonna be
okay or that you're going to beable to take care of them in the
ways that they need.
And I think nursing is magical.
SPEAKER_00 (09:02):
Yeah, I agree.
Now, when you went into college,did you know right away that
yes, I grew up around a mom whotakes care of patients?
Did you know already that I'mgoing into nursing?
This is my calling.
I saw my mom do it.
SPEAKER_01 (09:17):
I know you mentioned med school at first, but I knew
I knew there was a call in mylife to be of service to people.
And I've always had a passion oftaking care of people because
that was a lot of what was rolemodeled for me as a young
person.
And the program that I went toUniversity of Virginia, it was
(09:38):
traditional BSN.
So you applied to the nursingschool and you started from
nursing school from day one.
So I knew I was going to finishbeing in RN.
SPEAKER_00 (09:49):
Yeah.
unknown (09:50):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (09:50):
Awesome.
So when you finished school,where did you go into your first
nursing job?
Now we're both in the same area.
I'm in Washington, DC.
And I do know that you went toGeorgetown.
I'm curious that when you werein nursing school, did you sort
of figure out at that time likewhich particular area you wanted
to go into and how did you makethose decisions?
(10:13):
Or was it just, you know what, Ineed a job?
Because I know a lot of nurses,you hear a lot of nurses going
to this profession because theyknow it's something stable.
Not only is it, of course,helping people, but you know, we
do hear sometimes it's becauseit's a stable career to get
into.
And there's so many things thatyou can do in nursing.
And I still believe it's thebest profession to go into, even
(10:34):
though I'm no longer at thebedside.
But um, did you know right awaywhile you were moving into
graduation, which floor was thatyou wanted to work on?
SPEAKER_01 (10:44):
Or oh yeah.
I knew that I did not want to doOB pediatrics, psych, public
health, community health.
I'm an adrenaline junkie.
I ride a motorcycle, I loveroller coasters.
So ICU was aligned with what myinterests were and my
(11:08):
personality.
And so I started off inpost-anesthesia care because
they weren't really hiring newgrads in the ICU.
So I started off in the recoveryroom, and it wasn't traditional
to have to have new grads in therecovery room either.
But I went to Georgetown for myfirst, it was my first job.
(11:32):
But the there was a cohort, Ithink it was like seven of us,
and we were like top of ourclass.
We were just very on top of it.
And so we broke the mold ofhaving new grads in the PACU.
And I'm still friends with a lotof those nurses to this day.
Like we were just, we were verysupportive of each other and was
(11:52):
really committed to honing in onour specialization.
So we got all the certificationsand hosted conferences and
mentored and precepted others.
And so from PACU days, Itransitioned to the medical ICU
because I wanted just adifferent change and to really
(12:13):
get deeper into critical careand what better places the
medical ICU.
You get multi-system organfailure, you get it all.
And was fortunate enough to haveanother great crew of nurses
that were just the best of thebest, that were very nurturing
and supportive.
So had a really, reallywonderful experience during my
medical ICU time.
(12:34):
And then was like my greatuncle, who was like a father
figure to me, was like, you needto go back and get your nurse
practitioner degree.
Because he was a former Capitolpolice officer.
He was always on the hilllistening to all the things
popping.
And he was like, Healthcare ischanging.
They're going to need more nursepractitioners.
(12:55):
Like, you need to go back and bea nurse practitioner.
SPEAKER_00 (12:56):
I was like, And he was an officer, a police
officer.
SPEAKER_01 (12:58):
Yeah, he's a police officer.
But history buff, politics,politician, politic buff.
So always kept a pulse onculture, politics, trends,
anything.
So he was like, You need to goback.
And he was like, This is not,this is not up for negotiation.
SPEAKER_00 (13:17):
How long were you working before as a nurse before
you decided to go back?
Or he started to bring that up?
Was it right away?
SPEAKER_01 (13:24):
Or no, it wasn't right away.
It I was about five years intomy nursing career.
Okay.
Which I was starting to getantsy, like, you know, I feel
like I'm at a good space whereI've become like a resource
nurse.
I've precepted, I've presented,I've, you know, I've done
collaborative projects and onshared governance.
I was feeling like, mm, youknow, what's next?
(13:45):
And so that came up and I wasskeptical at first.
But then I was like, you knowwhat?
At the time, Georgetown offeredthis scholarship that if you got
in, they would pay 80% of you.
SPEAKER_00 (13:56):
Oh, I got the same scholarship.
SPEAKER_01 (13:59):
Best deal ever.
Yeah.
And if you stayed two moreyears, you would get the 20%
back.
And I was just, you know, so itwas, I was like, well, who am I
to deny you to pay for myschooling?
I was taking absolutely.
And it was the best decisionever.
And then from medical ICU, Iended up transitioning to
surgical critical care.
(14:21):
And I've been there ever since.
SPEAKER_00 (14:23):
So being that you decided, you know, after about
five years you were getting theANSI bug and trying to figure
out what you should do andhearing your great uncle in your
ear talking about theopportunities, what made you
decide to, or how did you makethat decision on what school to
apply to?
Did you have any doubts aboutgetting into school at that
(14:45):
time?
SPEAKER_01 (14:45):
You know, I just kind of um, I just threw my hat
in the ring because I wasn't,you know, I didn't, I wasn't
hard pressed.
I was like, if I get in grade,if I don't, you know, I'll do
travel nursing because I was onthe table as well.
So then I ended up getting in.
I was like, okay, well, this isthe path that we're moving
forward with.
So, you know, um, pursued thatfor two years and then ended up
(15:08):
transitioning.
I stayed within the same healthsystem.
I'm still within the same healthsystem and on the same surface.
And felt like it was a good fitand just kind of rolled with it,
you know.
SPEAKER_00 (15:22):
Yeah.
So with rolling with it, ittakes, I know, a special person
with a special talent to form acommunity and form a full
organization and get started.
And I know from just what I'veread and heard about your story
that DNPs of color.
And before we get fully intothat story, of course, there may
(15:43):
be nursing students or nurses tobe who are listening to this
podcast who want to know thedifference between a DNP, PhD,
all that good stuff.
So after that explainer, can youtell us about the story of how
DNPs of color came to be?
I know that it started duringthe pandemic, and I don't know
if that was just because ofcircumstances that were going on
(16:05):
at that time period, or justyour story of the challenges you
were having and seeing peoplelike you in school.
So I just want to hear a littlebit about that story.
SPEAKER_01 (16:15):
Yeah.
So future bossy nurses andcurrent bossy nurses.
So DMP and PhD, it's twopathways of terminal degrees
that we have within nursing.
PhD has been branded as thenursing scientists.
So the ones that generate thenew knowledge that informs the
evidence and that informspractice.
(16:37):
And DMP, Doctor of NursingPractice degree, is a clinical
terminal degree where it's beenbranded as the ones that
implement the nursing sciencethat's generated by the PhD
prepared nurses.
And I'm on a mission to rebrandthat or expand that definition
(16:57):
because of just the sheervolumes of DP prepared nurses in
practice.
SPEAKER_00 (17:04):
I'm curious about when you say expand it, what do
you mean by expansion of that?
SPEAKER_01 (17:08):
Yeah, well, one of the things about nursing, I feel
like we have a branding problem.
No one knows exactly what we do,which translates to us or people
not understanding the value wecontribute.
And so that manifests in thingslike, for example, the recent
law that was passed inCalifornia.
In California, yeah, I was gonnaask.
(17:29):
And it's like, or us not beingable to leverage our collective
numbers, sheer numbers of almost5 million nurses to be able to
lobby on policies that advanceaccess to healthcare and also
full scope practice authorityfor nurse practitioners.
So we have a branding issue.
(17:50):
Some things we brand well, likePhD.
When people hear PhDs innursing, they automatically
like, they're the nursingscientists, they generate the
new knowledge, this, that, and athird.
And then when you hear DMPs,people are like, okay, what does
DMP stand for?
And what do you mean youtranslate the evidence or the
science?
Like, what is what does thateven mean?
(18:11):
And now there's so manydifferent subspecialties
associated with the DMP becauseit originally was founded for
the advanced practice nurses tohave that terminal degree,
similar to like physicians, theMD is their terminal degree in
their current clinical practice.
And so, but what's happened issince the I guess the blessing
(18:35):
of the DMP degree by AACN backin 2004, it's blown up
significantly.
There's over 73,000 DMP preparednurses currently in the
profession to a little over15,000 PhD prepared nurses.
(18:56):
And so for me, I see that as anopportunity to start creating a
new generation of DMP preparednurses that actually generate
new knowledge, that we expandour lens from focusing on the
translation of the science togenerating the science or
generating the QI or PI or EBPstuff in the moment, because
(19:19):
that's what we do.
We find issues in our clinicalpractice or in the system, and
we pull resources and leveragerelationships and funding and
policies and procedures tocreate change right there in the
moment.
And to be honest, given the AIand all the advancements
(19:40):
technologically in healthcare,we need change in the moment.
And then also thinking about thescience that's been generated,
it takes on average, from once anurse scientist or scientist in
general gets the knowledge, ittakes anywhere from seven to 14
years to even be translated intoevidence to be disseminated in
(20:03):
practice.
And you think about that lag inthat time frame, and you think
about the way we've beendebunking all the racist,
race-based, you know, practicesthat have tremendously
contributed to the healthinequities we're experiencing
now.
And I'm like, okay, so we'regoing to use evidence that was
(20:25):
seven years old on today's timewhere we have AI that can
calculate, do lit searches, comeup with algorithms to help us
calculate what medications anddosages or whatever we need
right now, to some of thecomplexities that we're seeing
patients and families come inwith navigating various social
determinants of health, like forreal.
(20:46):
I am committed to finding waysthat we can work together to
help advance some of the nursingscience to help stay current
with some of the demands thatpractice is calling for us.
And also ways to focus on thingsthat eliminate these health
inequities that have perpetuatedbecause of racism, the
(21:09):
structures that continue touphold various things that are
arbitrary or because it wasalways done, or this is what the
science says, and it's 14 yearsold.
unknown (21:20):
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (21:21):
And we need that work.
We need that work to advance allof what you're saying.
And what else was the motivationbehind starting DMPs of color?
And what made you thinkstarting, you know, a movement,
an organization that has grownso fast in such a short period
of time?
SPEAKER_01 (21:40):
My vision has evolved from the first vision
when I first founded it becauseI was in DMP school and I was
the only black woman and Ididn't feel like I belonged, or
I had that guidance counselor inthe back of my mind that was,
you know, feeding theinsecurities or the being
(22:02):
conscientious of like maybe Idon't deserve to be here type
narratives.
And I knew that quitting wasn'tan option.
And I knew that I the best wayto get through was to build a
community that has been thereand done that, and that can
offer the opportunities to sharethose game secrets, like how my
(22:24):
coach did for me.
So I just was like, there's noother organization that
specifically focused on nursesof color that have their DMP
degree, and that's what I washard pressed on.
And I even tried to pitch it toalready established
organizations, and they werejust like, no, girl, that's not
part of our mission.
So I was just like, okay, well,I need something because I need
(22:45):
to get through this program.
And so I put together theFacebook group just out of the
just, I don't want to saydesperation, but just out of the
need of having a community.
And that group blew up to like200 people within months of just
casually posting about, hey,like if you're a DMP, like be
(23:09):
part of this Facebook group,trying to figure out some
things.
I'm in DMP school, would lovesome insight.
And as people began to sharetheir stories, there was just
like the common thread thatconnected us, like feeling
excluded.
We basically fought tooth andnail to even get to doctoral
studies.
A lot of us were firstgeneration doctoral level
(23:30):
students.
Some of us were like workingfull-time and also going to
school full-time.
And so we had this commonalityin our lived experience that
bonded us and also helped tomotivate us to support each
other for our success.
And as the community has grown,I've been able to be to gain
(23:50):
more clarity on the power thatthis group has.
I mean, when you think aboutnursing, it places a lot of
social capital on those thathave advanced degrees,
certifications, credentials.
So it's like, okay, the grouphas doctorate degrees.
And with the doctorate degrees,we get opportunities to be at
(24:12):
tables where decisions are beingmade, policies are being shaped,
you know, dollars are beingtossed, businesses are being
created, innovations are beingestablished, and influence is
permeating throughout the wholegroup.
And so I was like, wow, like,and then also recognizing we're
(24:37):
the only membership-basedassociation, specifically
focused on DMPs and nurses ofcolor.
And so it's like we need tostart harnessing this and
figuring out how we can, in mymind, rebrand the DMP degree to
sh to help show the tremendousvalue that this degree has for
(24:59):
the profession and advancing theprofession and helping to
eliminate health inequities.
SPEAKER_00 (25:05):
Now, you wouldn't necessarily change, want to
change the name or have amovement around changing the
actual licensure or the title ofit.
You just want to rebrand it in amarketing sense of how DMPs are
projected into you.
SPEAKER_01 (25:20):
Yeah, it wouldn't, it wouldn't change the
curriculum or anything.
It's just once you have your DNDDMP degree now what.
SPEAKER_00 (25:27):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (25:27):
And so with DMPs of color, we show you what the now
what is, like helping you getpublished, giving you speaking
opportunities, scholarships,helping you navigate how to
start your own practice, how toland your first job in academia,
how to survive academia, youknow, how to be a bossy nurse.
You know, so I feel like myexperience with those that have
(25:51):
DMP degrees, they've had to beinnovative to create space once
they got their DMP degree,because a lot of institutions
don't understand the skill setthat we get with this higher
education, the value we bring,and the contributions with the
knowledge and skill set from theDoctorate of Nursing Practice
(26:12):
Education.
unknown (26:12):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (26:13):
And there are a lot of things that you were just
mentioning, things likepublication.
And I know you have programswithin DMPs of color that help
future DMPs or DMPs already, andprobably nursing students as
well, get their foot in the doorof doing amazing work.
So I know you're helping DMPsand students publish.
SPEAKER_01 (26:34):
Yes, the My DMP manuscript mentorship program.
unknown (26:37):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:37):
Yes.
This program came about becausewhen we surveyed our members,
60% of people said that they hadnot published their DMP project
within two years of graduation.
And when we looked at people'sabstracts, people were coming up
with like new healthcaredelivery models.
They were focusing oncommunity-based programs that
(26:59):
help focus in on eliminatingvarious health inequities.
It was coming up with differentinnovations around technology.
And I'm like, this stuff needsto be published because it comes
from the lens of folks that havebeen historically marginalized.
So they've been able to come upwith innovations and
(27:19):
under-resourced, you know, umexperiences to advance health in
their communities.
And I'm like, And this is, andas we dug deeper in some of the
qualitative data, a lot of itwas the trauma that they
(27:41):
experienced because most of DMP,well, majority of DMP schools
are at predominantly whiteinstitutions.
And so you've got the being theonly one, the clawing yourself
tooth and nail, you've got theexperiences of racism, being
targeted, being othered, beinghyper-visible or
(28:01):
hyper-invisible.
And so people weren't eithermentored or nurtured to their
full potential during theirprogram experiences, or they
didn't feel comfortable sharingthat they didn't have the
knowledge or were afraid to askquestions for fear of like,
well, you know, I'm going to beperceived as that I don't know,
(28:22):
or these types of things.
So it was the psychologicaltrauma.
And the second piece was thelack of the mentorship and
encouragement to publish.
SPEAKER_02 (28:31):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (28:32):
And so a large part of having your doctorate is
having that publicationcurrency.
And so we put together a programthat we initially focusing on
creating that psychologicallysafe thing.
So allowing folks to movethrough that trauma, like, you
know, we're going to build ahealthy relationship with
(28:52):
writing and also revisiting yourDMP manuscript, which might kick
up some of the dust of yourexperiences from your um DMP
school experience.
And then we pair them with amentor one-on-one.
And that mentor works with themweekly over 14 weeks to help
transition like their 50 pluspage DMP project paper into a
(29:15):
manuscript that's ready forpublication.
Now, the program doesn'tguarantee publication, but it
guarantees you that it gets youover that hump and it have you
at least submit because that'swhere people stop.
It's just like I don't even knowhow to get from this DMP project
paper to a manuscript that I canactually feel comfortable and
confident submitting.
SPEAKER_00 (29:36):
Yeah, well, here's where I'm a little bit naive
because I don't have a DNP and Idon't have a graduate nursing
degree.
And so I thought it was sort ofautomatic that that was a
requirement that means you okay.
That's interesting.
SPEAKER_01 (29:50):
There's, you know, what's the there's so many
varieties in different programs.
Okay.
You know, some programs are likejust revolving door, like we
just trying to get.
Them out and some folks justonly do a poster.
Some do have the publicationrequirement.
All have the requirement thatyou have to disseminate in some
way, shape, or form.
And it's not necessarilypublication.
SPEAKER_00 (30:12):
Okay.
Okay.
Yeah, that was mymisunderstanding.
So I know that program.
And then you have your nurse,uh, nurses change shift movement
that just recently kicked offthis summer.
So tell us a little bit aboutthat.
SPEAKER_01 (30:25):
Yeah.
So that's separate from DMPs ofcolor.
It's nurses shift change.
And it's it was birthed out ofthe experiences of this past
year with this newadministration.
And then also wanting to createa space for nursing to advocate
in a different way.
And so we wanted to do a rally.
(30:48):
And so we put together what iscalled the Report for Duty
Rally.
It was nationwide.
We were able to have eightlocations, eight locations, and
nearly 500 nurses participatenationwide.
And we've been building up thatmovement to, with the goal of
ultimately having a millionnurses participate in this
(31:09):
report for duty rally.
Understanding that we need tobuild up, but the goal is still
if we don't get you know amillion, we're happy with
doubling at least theparticipation for this upcoming
May.
So the Report for Duty rally isgoing to be May 7th nationwide,
but we're going to have thecentralized rally in DC.
SPEAKER_00 (31:30):
Okay.
I know you have a conferencecoming up next week.
Next week.
And I know you've been doing itfor several years now, five
years.
This is your youth conference.
Rest and resistance is thetheme.
And although I know registrationis already closed, can you tell
a little bit about what yourconference, what the focus is at
(31:52):
the conference?
Well, in general.
And then I know you have thatrest and resistance theme this
year.
And then potentially your nextyear conference?
SPEAKER_01 (31:59):
Yes.
Yeah, I'd love to.
So the conference is going to beOctober 16th through the 19th in
Oakland, California.
And the theme is rest andresistance.
And that theme came to us lastyear.
I'm really big on energy andcurating experiences at our
conference.
And so our team felt like thatthis was going to be the year of
(32:22):
needing to understand what restand resistance looked like.
And darn it, when those resultscame in come January, we were
like, well.
And so rest being a part of thetheme with understanding the
importance of having rest,receiving rest, being okay with
rest.
(32:42):
Because our community hasn'tbeen conditioned or programmed
that since we were shipped overhere as enslaved Africans.
It was labor, work, work, work.
And so we've been conditioned tothat down to the DNA.
And nobody really gives youpermission to rest.
So we wanted to give ourcommunity tips and strategies on
(33:04):
ways to rest.
And then also understanding thatrest is part of the resistance.
Because if you don't rest, thebody's going to take what it
needs, and God forbid it takesyou out.
So we're going to have Reikipractitioners, we're going to
have wellness practitioners,yoga, some opportunities to do
some storytelling, some play, togive people strategies of like,
(33:29):
you know, you can go rollerskating down the street, you
know, you can tap into some ofyour inner child joys, you know,
as part of your ways to rest.
So I'm really, really excitedabout offering that perspective
for folks.
And then the resistance piece,we're going to have
opportunities to hear from bootson the ground activists that are
(33:52):
in these streets organizing andprotesting and offering mutual
aid and solidarity amongcommunities in so many ways.
One of the things I alsorecognize that a lot of our
community do not know how toorganize movements.
So we're going to have educationaround that.
We're also going to have somereal conversations talking about
(34:15):
how nursing needs to show up inthis moment, that nursing as a
profession and our foundation ispolitical.
I mean, we're dealing with thehealth and humanity of people in
their most vulnerable states.
So this is our time to ensure weare on the right side of
history.
And what does that look like?
So we're going to have lots ofum uh dialogue around that.
(34:40):
So I'm really, really excited.
And then to close out theconference, well, we'll start up
the conference.
We're gonna have a mix andmingle, which is a way for
allowing people just to kind ofconnect.
And it's gonna be pajama jammyjam to play off the rest.
And then we're gonna have agala, which we're calling the
gala de la resistance.
And that's we're asking peopleto embody their activism or
(35:01):
advocacy topics that they'repassionate about.
And so we're like either embodysomeone.
So I love Angela Davis.
I'm gonna be having my fro allthe way out, my black leather
coat and a gala dress.
And so we're asking people tobring that to the forefront.
And so I'm curious to see howpeople bring that to life.
(35:22):
And then on um the last day ofthe conference, we always love
to sponsor a local nonprofit inthe cities that we occupy.
And this year it's gonna be aSisters Touch.
And their mission is to focus onthe upliftment of um young girls
in the Oakland community andalso raise awareness around
human trafficking in Oakland,California.
SPEAKER_00 (35:44):
Okay.
And um, wonderful.
Oh, yeah, it's gonna be lit.
SPEAKER_01 (35:49):
Like I'm sad that you can't come.
SPEAKER_00 (35:51):
And so if you're not gonna be there this year and you
can't make it this year, whencan everyone come out next year
and put it on their calendars?
And do you have to be a DMP?
SPEAKER_01 (36:01):
You don't like we have this saying, you don't have
to be a DMP to sit with me.
The group is open to any andeveryone as long as they
understand that the mission,vision, and goals are always
going to be centered on DMPs ofcolor.
And so if you can rock withthat, you can sit with us.
And so every uh, and again, it'sabout branding for me.
(36:22):
So DMPs of color conference willalways be every third weekend in
October because it's around ourfounding date, which is October
19th, that we've coined NationalDMPs of color day.
And it is also the start ofNational DMP Week, which is
October 19th through the 25th.
(36:42):
Awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (36:44):
Writing down all those dates.
I know we've talked a lot aboutthe nursing aspect, and one
thing I've done in podcasts pastis always sort of bring it back
around to the business.
I would love to ask you somequestions about how you got
started.
SPEAKER_01 (36:59):
You know, it's I love that you asked this
question because I just got theepiphany that I'm a
businesswoman, like literallylike yesterday years old.
You know, I I promise you.
And the way it came to me was sowe have we with every conference
we have a board retreat.
And so we we have a consultantthat I was meeting with, and he
(37:24):
was like, You realize you'rerunning a business, right?
I'm like, you know, this is mypassion.
I just I, you know, I'm thefounder, this is great.
He was like, ma'am, you've beena membership-based organization
for a year now, you areaccepting people's coins.
That just took it to the nextlevel.
And I was like, I'm a businessperson.
SPEAKER_00 (37:43):
Yeah.
Starting off, when you firstthought about DNPs of color, I'm
curious, what made you thinknonprofit versus for-profit?
SPEAKER_01 (37:57):
You know, the nonprofit came from I had hired
a consultant, and a lot of thenursing associations are are
501c3s.
And so I wanted to align withthat.
And when I hired a nonprofitconsultant, she was laughing at
(38:17):
me.
She was like, You have doneeverything that you need to do
to launch this nonprofit.
Like, you don't need me.
I'm as she was like, I'm justhere to tell you just the
launch.
I, you know, because a lot ofthe stuff honestly came from a
lot of intuitiveness and thenjust also being part of other
(38:39):
membership associations, justkind of modeling some of those
things.
But I mean, I created everythingfrom the colors to the logo to
the taglines, the missionstatement, the vision statement,
the strategic objectives.
So the 501c3 just came frommodeling other membership
(39:00):
associations.
And now that we're growing,we're looking to expand to
either a C6, which will allow usto get more political, or even
have a backup strategy of anLLC, especially since there's a
lot of legislation aroundanti-DI and then also Away from
(39:23):
organizations.
Yes, and the legislationsagainst nonprofits.
So it's like, you know, we'reexploring other strategies
because our members want us toget political.
They're like, so what are wegonna say about California?
I'm like, we're just gonna just,you know, just keep on keeping
on, you know.
SPEAKER_00 (39:41):
Now, does DMPs of color have an official statement
yet about the ruling inCalifornia, the federal ruling
in California just yet?
SPEAKER_01 (39:50):
It's in the Megan because we're gonna be in
California.
So we're definitely gonna speakon it.
And because we're gonna be inthere talking about Dr.
McCain, we know, doctor, doctor,doctor.
And it's this has been aconversation since the beginning
of time.
I mean, we put we've put outstatements and had have had
some, you know, very heateddialogue conversations on can
(40:11):
you call me doctor?
So we absolutely will speak onit, but we can't go one way or
another.
We can't really get political.
So I'm hoping that we'll createa structure where we can get
more political because we'rerepresenting communities of
color, which are typically themost marginalized and
disenfranchised.
SPEAKER_02 (40:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (40:31):
You know, we've got to get out there lobbying and on
the hill and craftinglegislation.
And like one of my mentors, Dr.
Monica McIlmore, she's like,when you can't legislate,
litigate.
SPEAKER_00 (40:45):
So that's the way to do it.
So I do want to talk a littlebit about now.
I meet a lot of people who, whenthey talk about starting a
business, they say, I want tostart a nonprofit.
I know you had a consultantgiving you that final push.
You already had a lot of thingsalready planned and organized
for DMPs of color.
Would you talk about thestarting process about you need
(41:09):
a board?
And you have to have bylaws andyou have to have a board of
directors who are basicallyrunning the organization.
And then also the political sideof it too, those dollars, those
federal dollars that you mightwant to get in grants.
SPEAKER_01 (41:22):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (41:22):
If you can't do a lot of political activity.
SPEAKER_01 (41:26):
Yeah.
So when I had createdeverything, it was like, okay, I
need to find a crew.
And so I approached a lot of thepeople that were part of the
inaugural board of directorswere colleagues and mentors.
And there were a couple of folksthat I met through conferencing.
And we so we became a nonprofitin 2018 and then officially
(41:48):
launched in 2020.
And I felt like during the timeCOVID always sounded like a bad
idea to launch something new,but it was right on time for the
community because we became asupportive space for folks that
were going through.
SPEAKER_00 (42:03):
Yeah.
Because it was May 2020 when youlaunched it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right?
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (42:08):
And so and a lot of people's graduations were
canceled.
So we hosted virtualgraduations, which were a huge
hit because people wanted therecognition.
Like they had just finishedtheir doctoral studies, and it's
like they ain't even doing avirtual graduation.
So we did the virtualgraduation.
That's been a longstandingprogram that we've had.
(42:30):
That's always a huge hit.
And then we started hostingcommunity forums so that people
get that space to just debriefabout what's happening in
clinical practice.
Like, what are some of the thickchallenges you're experiencing?
How can we be of service ofsupport?
And yeah, so my first board ofdirectors were colleagues and
friends that were like, Yeah, wesee the vision.
(42:52):
This is great.
Like you've done everythingfoundationally.
Like, let's just, let's juststart.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (42:59):
And so, where do you see DMPs of color not only in
the near future?
I know you have a lot going onright now with the conferences
and just building the communitymore than you've already built
it.
Where do you see it in in thefuture, whether it's the next
five years, the next 10 years,or I have so many vast visions
(43:20):
for DMPs of color.
SPEAKER_01 (43:21):
Like my board now tells me to always like
Danielle, like slow down.
Talking to some of mycolleagues, I was like, I've got
so many ideas.
I need someone to fund my ideas.
So going back to the branding,I'm hard pressed on branding the
value and translating that valueinto coins.
(43:42):
Like, all right, here's thebrand, here's the value.
This is what I'm gonna need toget paid, you know, but also
being a leading voice increating this space for more
DMPs of color.
I see us navigating more spacesaround, building up our networks
of influence.
So helping folks advance theircareers, publications, creating
(44:07):
their own businesses.
I see us having speaker bureausand then us becoming our own
grant-giving organization wherewe can fund the projects that
are most meaningful to ourcommunities that will help with
eliminating these inequities.
I see us even doing globalthings, being part of a network
(44:28):
to create a DMP, a global DMPprogram.
We've started some earlyconversations with a group we
collaborate with called theGhanaian Diaspora Nursing
Alliance in Ghana and launchinga DMP school for the Ghanaian
and diaspora communities.
I see us, you know, growingexponentially nationwide and
(44:52):
globally to help unify a lot offolks that want to have access
to doctoral studies and thesupport and and being able to
truly leverage it fortransformation in whatever their
respective area is.
SPEAKER_00 (45:07):
Lots of work to do.
Lots of work to do.
Lots of work to do.
It sounds fun though.
Lots of work to do.
SPEAKER_01 (45:12):
It is fun.
And a lot, you know, I've beenso incredibly fortunate to have
a lot of people that want to dothe work.
Like, yeah, I'm like, youactually want to volunteer for
this committee or like donatethis money, you know.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (45:25):
And that was the next question.
So, how do people get involvedif they for the first time maybe
hearing about DMPs of color,especially if they're new to
nursing, or um, how would what'sthe best way to get involved?
I know membership is one way.
SPEAKER_01 (45:38):
Yes, you don't have to be in DMP.
You don't have to be in DMP tosit with me.
You can go to our website.
We have opportunities to join asmembers.
People are free to come to theannual conference.
People are free to even submitabstracts for the conference.
I like to post on LinkedIn, DMPsof color everywhere.
(45:59):
So our board of directors isvery accessible.
I'm very accessible.
People hit me up.
I love to have conversations.
Yes, hop on a Zoom, like let'sget it poppin'.
Let's see where there's youknow, networks align, if there's
someone I can introduce you to,vice versa.
So we're pretty accessible.
We're on all the social mediaplatforms.
(46:20):
We have committees that helpadvance the mission.
So there's always room forpeople to share their time,
talent, and treasure.
SPEAKER_00 (46:32):
Thank you so much.
So before I go, I want to askyou, or before we wrap up, I do
want to ask you a question.
If you had to think back acrossyour nursing career and your
nursing journey, what's onememorable story that you have
when it comes to patients orjust nursing in general?
SPEAKER_01 (46:55):
I guess one of the when I think back in COVID
times, one of the many rewardingopportunities was when people of
color come in and they see thatI'm a, you know, nurse
practitioner of color, just thatrelief that falls over people
when they see that, that theycan connect with the provider
(47:18):
and they can speak candidly andI'll understand and I can speak
candidly with them to createthat trust and rapport.
So I would say I always lovethat connection when communities
of color find that just relief,knowing, like, okay, someone
(47:39):
looks like me.
I know they're gonna look out, Iknow they're gonna hear me, I
know they're gonna understandme, and I know they're going to
do their best to take care ofme.
SPEAKER_00 (47:49):
That was Dr.
Danielle McCaney, founder of DPsof Color.
And remember that brief mentionabout motorcycles?
SPEAKER_01 (47:58):
So I ride a Suzuki Jickster 600.
People call it a crotch rocket,but I grew up with a family that
are bikers.
They ride Harleys, they're amotorcycle club, and I didn't
have a choice but to learn howto ride a motorcycle.
I started off riding theirbikes.
(48:20):
My uncles lived in the country,so we would just be throughout
the country roads and then endedup graduating to a street bike,
cross-rocket.
I love it.
It's nothing like being out onthe open road and just with your
thoughts, with nature.
Um, some people love it, somepeople hate it.
(48:43):
People are like, how are you anurse practitioner and you're
riding a donor cycle?
I'm like, look, life is a risk.
You choose which risk you wantand move forward as long as what
you're doing is not hurtinganybody and it brings you joy.
SPEAKER_00 (48:59):
Hey, thanks so much for listening to the show this
week.
To follow Dr.
McCainy and see her full body ofwork, check out the show notes.
Also, please make sure to rateand review this episode in your
favorite podcast app.
Then, don't forget to click thefollow button so you won't miss
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(49:23):
spotlights, notices aboutvirtual or live events, behind
the scenes action, and exclusivedetails on how to share your
story over on our website or onthe show.
And it's free.
Head on over tothebostynurse.com forward slash
join.
That's thebostynurse.com forwardslash join.
And last thought, the State ofNursing and Nurse
(49:45):
Entrepreneurship Survey is nowhere.
Add your voice across fivepillars, including AI, business,
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Share what's real at work and inyour ventures, and get entered
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(50:09):
forward slash survey.
This episode was produced andedited by yours truly with
administrative and researchsupport from Liz Alexandri and
Brenon Silva.
I'm Marcia Batti, and you'vebeen listening to the Boston
Earth Podcast.
I feel like we have a branding problem.
No one knows exactly what we do,which translates to people not
understanding the value wecontribute, you know, or us not
being able to leverage ourcollective numbers, sheer
numbers of almost five millionnurses to be able to lobby on
(00:29):
policies that advance access tohealthcare and also full scope
practice authority for nursepractitioners.
So we have a branding issue.
And then when you hear DMPs,people are like, okay, what does
DMP stand for?
And what do you mean youtranslate the evidence or the
science?
Like, what does that even mean?
SPEAKER_00 (00:52):
Welcome to the Bossy Nurse Podcast, a show about
nurse creators, innovators, risktakers, and the ideas that shape
their success.
I'm Marcia Batti, and on theshow today, how Dr.
Danielle McCamey turned amissing sense of community in
her graduate program into D ⁇ Psof color, a national
(01:13):
organization advancing diversityin D ⁇ P education, leadership,
and clinical practice.
The Doctor of Nursing Practiceis the newest kid on the block.
In 1979, Case Western Reservelaunched the first
(01:35):
practice-focused doctorate, orND.
By 2004, the AmericanAssociation of Colleges of
Nurses declared the D ⁇ P theterminal practice degree and
urged a shift from a master's toa doctorate for advanced
practice nurses.
Since then, growth has beensteady, about 43,000 students in
(01:57):
2024 and more than 12,000graduates in 2023.
Meanwhile, one learner felt thegap between aspiration and
belonging.
In her DP program, DanielleMcCamey was the only black woman
and questioned her fit.
In response, she started aFacebook group for DPs of Color
that reached about 200 memberswithin the first months.
(02:20):
From there, that seed became DPsof Color, a nonprofit in 2018
with an official launch in 2020.
She led the brand, mission, andthe structure.
But before all of that, her pulltowards care began at home.
Her mother was a home healthnurse, and young Danielle
watched patients suddenlyfeeling better as soon as her
(02:43):
mother worked her magic.
When a counselor said collegewas out of reach, a track coach
said otherwise.
As a result, Danielle applied tomore than 20 schools and was
accepted to each one.
But before she began thatnursing career, Dr.
McCamey explored another option.
SPEAKER_01 (03:07):
Until I actually did a uh, it was called Minority
Medical Education Program, andit was like a summer program
catered to underrepresentedminorities that were interested
in medicine.
And so we did a summer on campusexperience at the University of
Virginia.
And I counted up the amount ofyears it would take for me to
(03:29):
actually start practicing.
And I was like, yeah, I don'tthink that medicine is going to
be my jam.
And I had my mom in my earbecause she did home health
nursing, like, why don't youpursue nursing?
And so when I was a kid, sheused to take me on her nursing
home health things.
(03:50):
And I was incredibly inspired bythe way she was able to
navigate, just rolling up inpeople's houses and checking
their blood pressure and makingsure that they're getting their
meds and whatever else needed tobe done.
So that's how I got the interestin just care of people.
And then of course, growing up,watching like the Cosby show and
stuff, it's like you want to bea physician, blah, blah, blah.
(04:11):
But circle back around tonursing because the time frame
was shorter, but also justrecounting my mom and her role
modeling, the ability to be ableto be in people's spaces and
make connections, and by the endof their visits, them feeling
(04:32):
human again or confident andcompetent to be able to take
care of themselves no matterwhat was going on.
So shortly thereafter, decidedto apply to nursing school.
And I actually applied to a lotof schools because when I was
thinking about college, myguidance counselor had basically
(04:53):
told me because I grew up in asingle parent household that I
wouldn't be able to be acceptedto college.
So I applied to like over 20schools to make sure I got in.
SPEAKER_00 (05:04):
And I know that you actually got into all of those
schools.
SPEAKER_01 (05:07):
I did.
And I made sure the guidancecounselor was aware of my
admissions to all those schoolsas well.
SPEAKER_00 (05:14):
And I'm I'm so amazed that I hear these stories
of people who had teachers orguidance counselors who always
dampened their light about goingto college.
And I hear that story so much.
And I couldn't imagine telling achild that, you know what,
because of your circumstances,you might not get as far as you
want to go.
(05:34):
And how old were you when thathappened?
I was a senior in high school.
Now, did you believe her?
SPEAKER_01 (05:42):
I did, because in my mind, you know, she's the
guidance counselor.
She knows these things, and noone else in my family went to
college.
So I had no frame of reference.
And it wasn't until my trackcoach, you know, because I was
so she literally ripped like thedream and my parade was rained
(06:03):
on, like everything.
I literally took my breath awayin that moment and I had a track
coach that basically was like,Don't don't believe that.
Like you have so many otherqualities about you that
colleges look for.
And you know, because you have alower socioeconomic status, the
(06:24):
game secret is you can getgrants and you can get fee
waivers on these applicationfees.
Like it just was like, oh word,I can use this to my advantage.
And like when he told me thatgame secret, I was like
unstoppable, which is why Iended up applying to like 20
schools.
Because I was like, if I gottapay no fee waivers, like we're
(06:45):
gonna make these applicationswin, you know, rain.
So and that's what I did.
One, because I still had her inthe back of my mind, like,
you're not gonna get into anyschools.
And then two, it was like, Idon't have anything to lose
because I'm not gonna be havingto tap my mom to be like, Can I
get like$10 for that?
It was like, let me just cast awide net.
(07:08):
And I'm so glad for my trackcoach because she extinguished
my fire and he lit it back upand it's been like a raging fire
ever since.
SPEAKER_00 (07:16):
Good for you for um well, good that you had someone
in your corner.
I do want to go back a littlebit.
I've also heard that when youwere going to your mom's
appointments with seeing herclients that she would like put
you in the corner and make surethat you would be quiet.
I know we didn't have iPads backthen, but yeah, but probably
gave you the equivalent and youknow, colors and things like
(07:39):
that.
And I just look at that picturein my mind and it looks like
it's such a fascinating thingbecause how many kids get to go
to work with their parents?
How was that like watching yourmom take care of people and help
them heal as a little girl?
How was that for you?
SPEAKER_01 (07:57):
I thought she was magical.
I was like, my mom is amagician.
We go into people's houses, andthey are not, you know, they're
sick when she gets there andthen they're better when she
leaves.
I was just like, she is magical.
So it was fascinating because Ididn't, you know, I when you're
a kid, like your imaginationjust goes to different places.
(08:20):
And I was like, I want to bemagical.
And so I would see like herstethoscope, and she would have
like her nurse bag and stuff.
And I thought the stethoscopewas like the magic wand.
And I was like, I need thatmagical wand because she's like
putting it on them and then theyfeel better.
So it was just a magicalexperience to witness.
(08:41):
And I feel like being in nursingis magical because you have to
have that ability to connectwith people in their most
vulnerable moments and build upthat trust that they're gonna be
okay or that you're going to beable to take care of them in the
ways that they need.
And I think nursing is magical.
SPEAKER_00 (09:02):
Yeah, I agree.
Now, when you went into college,did you know right away that
yes, I grew up around a mom whotakes care of patients?
Did you know already that I'mgoing into nursing?
This is my calling.
I saw my mom do it.
SPEAKER_01 (09:17):
I know you mentioned med school at first, but I knew
I knew there was a call in mylife to be of service to people.
And I've always had a passion oftaking care of people because
that was a lot of what was rolemodeled for me as a young
person.
And the program that I went toUniversity of Virginia, it was
(09:38):
traditional BSN.
So you applied to the nursingschool and you started from
nursing school from day one.
So I knew I was going to finishbeing in RN.
SPEAKER_00 (09:49):
Yeah.
unknown (09:50):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (09:50):
Awesome.
So when you finished school,where did you go into your first
nursing job?
Now we're both in the same area.
I'm in Washington, DC.
And I do know that you went toGeorgetown.
I'm curious that when you werein nursing school, did you sort
of figure out at that time likewhich particular area you wanted
to go into and how did you makethose decisions?
(10:13):
Or was it just, you know what, Ineed a job?
Because I know a lot of nurses,you hear a lot of nurses going
to this profession because theyknow it's something stable.
Not only is it, of course,helping people, but you know, we
do hear sometimes it's becauseit's a stable career to get
into.
And there's so many things thatyou can do in nursing.
And I still believe it's thebest profession to go into, even
(10:34):
though I'm no longer at thebedside.
But um, did you know right awaywhile you were moving into
graduation, which floor was thatyou wanted to work on?
SPEAKER_01 (10:44):
Or oh yeah.
I knew that I did not want to doOB pediatrics, psych, public
health, community health.
I'm an adrenaline junkie.
I ride a motorcycle, I loveroller coasters.
So ICU was aligned with what myinterests were and my
(11:08):
personality.
And so I started off inpost-anesthesia care because
they weren't really hiring newgrads in the ICU.
So I started off in the recoveryroom, and it wasn't traditional
to have to have new grads in therecovery room either.
But I went to Georgetown for myfirst, it was my first job.
(11:32):
But the there was a cohort, Ithink it was like seven of us,
and we were like top of ourclass.
We were just very on top of it.
And so we broke the mold ofhaving new grads in the PACU.
And I'm still friends with a lotof those nurses to this day.
Like we were just, we were verysupportive of each other and was
(11:52):
really committed to honing in onour specialization.
So we got all the certificationsand hosted conferences and
mentored and precepted others.
And so from PACU days, Itransitioned to the medical ICU
because I wanted just adifferent change and to really
(12:13):
get deeper into critical careand what better places the
medical ICU.
You get multi-system organfailure, you get it all.
And was fortunate enough to haveanother great crew of nurses
that were just the best of thebest, that were very nurturing
and supportive.
So had a really, reallywonderful experience during my
medical ICU time.
(12:34):
And then was like my greatuncle, who was like a father
figure to me, was like, you needto go back and get your nurse
practitioner degree.
Because he was a former Capitolpolice officer.
He was always on the hilllistening to all the things
popping.
And he was like, Healthcare ischanging.
They're going to need more nursepractitioners.
(12:55):
Like, you need to go back and bea nurse practitioner.
SPEAKER_00 (12:56):
I was like, And he was an officer, a police
officer.
SPEAKER_01 (12:58):
Yeah, he's a police officer.
But history buff, politics,politician, politic buff.
So always kept a pulse onculture, politics, trends,
anything.
So he was like, You need to goback.
And he was like, This is not,this is not up for negotiation.
SPEAKER_00 (13:17):
How long were you working before as a nurse before
you decided to go back?
Or he started to bring that up?
Was it right away?
SPEAKER_01 (13:24):
Or no, it wasn't right away.
It I was about five years intomy nursing career.
Okay.
Which I was starting to getantsy, like, you know, I feel
like I'm at a good space whereI've become like a resource
nurse.
I've precepted, I've presented,I've, you know, I've done
collaborative projects and onshared governance.
I was feeling like, mm, youknow, what's next?
(13:45):
And so that came up and I wasskeptical at first.
But then I was like, you knowwhat?
At the time, Georgetown offeredthis scholarship that if you got
in, they would pay 80% of you.
SPEAKER_00 (13:56):
Oh, I got the same scholarship.
SPEAKER_01 (13:59):
Best deal ever.
Yeah.
And if you stayed two moreyears, you would get the 20%
back.
And I was just, you know, so itwas, I was like, well, who am I
to deny you to pay for myschooling?
I was taking absolutely.
And it was the best decisionever.
And then from medical ICU, Iended up transitioning to
surgical critical care.
(14:21):
And I've been there ever since.
SPEAKER_00 (14:23):
So being that you decided, you know, after about
five years you were getting theANSI bug and trying to figure
out what you should do andhearing your great uncle in your
ear talking about theopportunities, what made you
decide to, or how did you makethat decision on what school to
apply to?
Did you have any doubts aboutgetting into school at that
(14:45):
time?
SPEAKER_01 (14:45):
You know, I just kind of um, I just threw my hat
in the ring because I wasn't,you know, I didn't, I wasn't
hard pressed.
I was like, if I get in grade,if I don't, you know, I'll do
travel nursing because I was onthe table as well.
So then I ended up getting in.
I was like, okay, well, this isthe path that we're moving
forward with.
So, you know, um, pursued thatfor two years and then ended up
(15:08):
transitioning.
I stayed within the same healthsystem.
I'm still within the same healthsystem and on the same surface.
And felt like it was a good fitand just kind of rolled with it,
you know.
SPEAKER_00 (15:22):
Yeah.
So with rolling with it, ittakes, I know, a special person
with a special talent to form acommunity and form a full
organization and get started.
And I know from just what I'veread and heard about your story
that DNPs of color.
And before we get fully intothat story, of course, there may
(15:43):
be nursing students or nurses tobe who are listening to this
podcast who want to know thedifference between a DNP, PhD,
all that good stuff.
So after that explainer, can youtell us about the story of how
DNPs of color came to be?
I know that it started duringthe pandemic, and I don't know
if that was just because ofcircumstances that were going on
(16:05):
at that time period, or justyour story of the challenges you
were having and seeing peoplelike you in school.
So I just want to hear a littlebit about that story.
SPEAKER_01 (16:15):
Yeah.
So future bossy nurses andcurrent bossy nurses.
So DMP and PhD, it's twopathways of terminal degrees
that we have within nursing.
PhD has been branded as thenursing scientists.
So the ones that generate thenew knowledge that informs the
evidence and that informspractice.
(16:37):
And DMP, Doctor of NursingPractice degree, is a clinical
terminal degree where it's beenbranded as the ones that
implement the nursing sciencethat's generated by the PhD
prepared nurses.
And I'm on a mission to rebrandthat or expand that definition
(16:57):
because of just the sheervolumes of DP prepared nurses in
practice.
SPEAKER_00 (17:04):
I'm curious about when you say expand it, what do
you mean by expansion of that?
SPEAKER_01 (17:08):
Yeah, well, one of the things about nursing, I feel
like we have a branding problem.
No one knows exactly what we do,which translates to us or people
not understanding the value wecontribute.
And so that manifests in thingslike, for example, the recent
law that was passed inCalifornia.
In California, yeah, I was gonnaask.
(17:29):
And it's like, or us not beingable to leverage our collective
numbers, sheer numbers of almost5 million nurses to be able to
lobby on policies that advanceaccess to healthcare and also
full scope practice authorityfor nurse practitioners.
So we have a branding issue.
(17:50):
Some things we brand well, likePhD.
When people hear PhDs innursing, they automatically
like, they're the nursingscientists, they generate the
new knowledge, this, that, and athird.
And then when you hear DMPs,people are like, okay, what does
DMP stand for?
And what do you mean youtranslate the evidence or the
science?
Like, what is what does thateven mean?
(18:11):
And now there's so manydifferent subspecialties
associated with the DMP becauseit originally was founded for
the advanced practice nurses tohave that terminal degree,
similar to like physicians, theMD is their terminal degree in
their current clinical practice.
And so, but what's happened issince the I guess the blessing
(18:35):
of the DMP degree by AACN backin 2004, it's blown up
significantly.
There's over 73,000 DMP preparednurses currently in the
profession to a little over15,000 PhD prepared nurses.
(18:56):
And so for me, I see that as anopportunity to start creating a
new generation of DMP preparednurses that actually generate
new knowledge, that we expandour lens from focusing on the
translation of the science togenerating the science or
generating the QI or PI or EBPstuff in the moment, because
(19:19):
that's what we do.
We find issues in our clinicalpractice or in the system, and
we pull resources and leveragerelationships and funding and
policies and procedures tocreate change right there in the
moment.
And to be honest, given the AIand all the advancements
(19:40):
technologically in healthcare,we need change in the moment.
And then also thinking about thescience that's been generated,
it takes on average, from once anurse scientist or scientist in
general gets the knowledge, ittakes anywhere from seven to 14
years to even be translated intoevidence to be disseminated in
(20:03):
practice.
And you think about that lag inthat time frame, and you think
about the way we've beendebunking all the racist,
race-based, you know, practicesthat have tremendously
contributed to the healthinequities we're experiencing
now.
And I'm like, okay, so we'regoing to use evidence that was
(20:25):
seven years old on today's timewhere we have AI that can
calculate, do lit searches, comeup with algorithms to help us
calculate what medications anddosages or whatever we need
right now, to some of thecomplexities that we're seeing
patients and families come inwith navigating various social
determinants of health, like forreal.
(20:46):
I am committed to finding waysthat we can work together to
help advance some of the nursingscience to help stay current
with some of the demands thatpractice is calling for us.
And also ways to focus on thingsthat eliminate these health
inequities that have perpetuatedbecause of racism, the
(21:09):
structures that continue touphold various things that are
arbitrary or because it wasalways done, or this is what the
science says, and it's 14 yearsold.
unknown (21:20):
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (21:21):
And we need that work.
We need that work to advance allof what you're saying.
And what else was the motivationbehind starting DMPs of color?
And what made you thinkstarting, you know, a movement,
an organization that has grownso fast in such a short period
of time?
SPEAKER_01 (21:40):
My vision has evolved from the first vision
when I first founded it becauseI was in DMP school and I was
the only black woman and Ididn't feel like I belonged, or
I had that guidance counselor inthe back of my mind that was,
you know, feeding theinsecurities or the being
(22:02):
conscientious of like maybe Idon't deserve to be here type
narratives.
And I knew that quitting wasn'tan option.
And I knew that I the best wayto get through was to build a
community that has been thereand done that, and that can
offer the opportunities to sharethose game secrets, like how my
(22:24):
coach did for me.
So I just was like, there's noother organization that
specifically focused on nursesof color that have their DMP
degree, and that's what I washard pressed on.
And I even tried to pitch it toalready established
organizations, and they werejust like, no, girl, that's not
part of our mission.
So I was just like, okay, well,I need something because I need
(22:45):
to get through this program.
And so I put together theFacebook group just out of the
just, I don't want to saydesperation, but just out of the
need of having a community.
And that group blew up to like200 people within months of just
casually posting about, hey,like if you're a DMP, like be
(23:09):
part of this Facebook group,trying to figure out some
things.
I'm in DMP school, would lovesome insight.
And as people began to sharetheir stories, there was just
like the common thread thatconnected us, like feeling
excluded.
We basically fought tooth andnail to even get to doctoral
studies.
A lot of us were firstgeneration doctoral level
(23:30):
students.
Some of us were like workingfull-time and also going to
school full-time.
And so we had this commonalityin our lived experience that
bonded us and also helped tomotivate us to support each
other for our success.
And as the community has grown,I've been able to be to gain
(23:50):
more clarity on the power thatthis group has.
I mean, when you think aboutnursing, it places a lot of
social capital on those thathave advanced degrees,
certifications, credentials.
So it's like, okay, the grouphas doctorate degrees.
And with the doctorate degrees,we get opportunities to be at
(24:12):
tables where decisions are beingmade, policies are being shaped,
you know, dollars are beingtossed, businesses are being
created, innovations are beingestablished, and influence is
permeating throughout the wholegroup.
And so I was like, wow, like,and then also recognizing we're
(24:37):
the only membership-basedassociation, specifically
focused on DMPs and nurses ofcolor.
And so it's like we need tostart harnessing this and
figuring out how we can, in mymind, rebrand the DMP degree to
sh to help show the tremendousvalue that this degree has for
(24:59):
the profession and advancing theprofession and helping to
eliminate health inequities.
SPEAKER_00 (25:05):
Now, you wouldn't necessarily change, want to
change the name or have amovement around changing the
actual licensure or the title ofit.
You just want to rebrand it in amarketing sense of how DMPs are
projected into you.
SPEAKER_01 (25:20):
Yeah, it wouldn't, it wouldn't change the
curriculum or anything.
It's just once you have your DNDDMP degree now what.
SPEAKER_00 (25:27):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (25:27):
And so with DMPs of color, we show you what the now
what is, like helping you getpublished, giving you speaking
opportunities, scholarships,helping you navigate how to
start your own practice, how toland your first job in academia,
how to survive academia, youknow, how to be a bossy nurse.
You know, so I feel like myexperience with those that have
(25:51):
DMP degrees, they've had to beinnovative to create space once
they got their DMP degree,because a lot of institutions
don't understand the skill setthat we get with this higher
education, the value we bring,and the contributions with the
knowledge and skill set from theDoctorate of Nursing Practice
(26:12):
Education.
unknown (26:12):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (26:13):
And there are a lot of things that you were just
mentioning, things likepublication.
And I know you have programswithin DMPs of color that help
future DMPs or DMPs already, andprobably nursing students as
well, get their foot in the doorof doing amazing work.
So I know you're helping DMPsand students publish.
SPEAKER_01 (26:34):
Yes, the My DMP manuscript mentorship program.
unknown (26:37):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:37):
Yes.
This program came about becausewhen we surveyed our members,
60% of people said that they hadnot published their DMP project
within two years of graduation.
And when we looked at people'sabstracts, people were coming up
with like new healthcaredelivery models.
They were focusing oncommunity-based programs that
(26:59):
help focus in on eliminatingvarious health inequities.
It was coming up with differentinnovations around technology.
And I'm like, this stuff needsto be published because it comes
from the lens of folks that havebeen historically marginalized.
So they've been able to come upwith innovations and
(27:19):
under-resourced, you know, umexperiences to advance health in
their communities.
And I'm like, And this is, andas we dug deeper in some of the
qualitative data, a lot of itwas the trauma that they
(27:41):
experienced because most of DMP,well, majority of DMP schools
are at predominantly whiteinstitutions.
And so you've got the being theonly one, the clawing yourself
tooth and nail, you've got theexperiences of racism, being
targeted, being othered, beinghyper-visible or
(28:01):
hyper-invisible.
And so people weren't eithermentored or nurtured to their
full potential during theirprogram experiences, or they
didn't feel comfortable sharingthat they didn't have the
knowledge or were afraid to askquestions for fear of like,
well, you know, I'm going to beperceived as that I don't know,
(28:22):
or these types of things.
So it was the psychologicaltrauma.
And the second piece was thelack of the mentorship and
encouragement to publish.
SPEAKER_02 (28:31):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (28:32):
And so a large part of having your doctorate is
having that publicationcurrency.
And so we put together a programthat we initially focusing on
creating that psychologicallysafe thing.
So allowing folks to movethrough that trauma, like, you
know, we're going to build ahealthy relationship with
(28:52):
writing and also revisiting yourDMP manuscript, which might kick
up some of the dust of yourexperiences from your um DMP
school experience.
And then we pair them with amentor one-on-one.
And that mentor works with themweekly over 14 weeks to help
transition like their 50 pluspage DMP project paper into a
(29:15):
manuscript that's ready forpublication.
Now, the program doesn'tguarantee publication, but it
guarantees you that it gets youover that hump and it have you
at least submit because that'swhere people stop.
It's just like I don't even knowhow to get from this DMP project
paper to a manuscript that I canactually feel comfortable and
confident submitting.
SPEAKER_00 (29:36):
Yeah, well, here's where I'm a little bit naive
because I don't have a DNP and Idon't have a graduate nursing
degree.
And so I thought it was sort ofautomatic that that was a
requirement that means you okay.
That's interesting.
SPEAKER_01 (29:50):
There's, you know, what's the there's so many
varieties in different programs.
Okay.
You know, some programs are likejust revolving door, like we
just trying to get.
Them out and some folks justonly do a poster.
Some do have the publicationrequirement.
All have the requirement thatyou have to disseminate in some
way, shape, or form.
And it's not necessarilypublication.
SPEAKER_00 (30:12):
Okay.
Okay.
Yeah, that was mymisunderstanding.
So I know that program.
And then you have your nurse,uh, nurses change shift movement
that just recently kicked offthis summer.
So tell us a little bit aboutthat.
SPEAKER_01 (30:25):
Yeah.
So that's separate from DMPs ofcolor.
It's nurses shift change.
And it's it was birthed out ofthe experiences of this past
year with this newadministration.
And then also wanting to createa space for nursing to advocate
in a different way.
And so we wanted to do a rally.
(30:48):
And so we put together what iscalled the Report for Duty
Rally.
It was nationwide.
We were able to have eightlocations, eight locations, and
nearly 500 nurses participatenationwide.
And we've been building up thatmovement to, with the goal of
ultimately having a millionnurses participate in this
(31:09):
report for duty rally.
Understanding that we need tobuild up, but the goal is still
if we don't get you know amillion, we're happy with
doubling at least theparticipation for this upcoming
May.
So the Report for Duty rally isgoing to be May 7th nationwide,
but we're going to have thecentralized rally in DC.
SPEAKER_00 (31:30):
Okay.
I know you have a conferencecoming up next week.
Next week.
And I know you've been doing itfor several years now, five
years.
This is your youth conference.
Rest and resistance is thetheme.
And although I know registrationis already closed, can you tell
a little bit about what yourconference, what the focus is at
(31:52):
the conference?
Well, in general.
And then I know you have thatrest and resistance theme this
year.
And then potentially your nextyear conference?
SPEAKER_01 (31:59):
Yes.
Yeah, I'd love to.
So the conference is going to beOctober 16th through the 19th in
Oakland, California.
And the theme is rest andresistance.
And that theme came to us lastyear.
I'm really big on energy andcurating experiences at our
conference.
And so our team felt like thatthis was going to be the year of
(32:22):
needing to understand what restand resistance looked like.
And darn it, when those resultscame in come January, we were
like, well.
And so rest being a part of thetheme with understanding the
importance of having rest,receiving rest, being okay with
rest.
(32:42):
Because our community hasn'tbeen conditioned or programmed
that since we were shipped overhere as enslaved Africans.
It was labor, work, work, work.
And so we've been conditioned tothat down to the DNA.
And nobody really gives youpermission to rest.
So we wanted to give ourcommunity tips and strategies on
(33:04):
ways to rest.
And then also understanding thatrest is part of the resistance.
Because if you don't rest, thebody's going to take what it
needs, and God forbid it takesyou out.
So we're going to have Reikipractitioners, we're going to
have wellness practitioners,yoga, some opportunities to do
some storytelling, some play, togive people strategies of like,
(33:29):
you know, you can go rollerskating down the street, you
know, you can tap into some ofyour inner child joys, you know,
as part of your ways to rest.
So I'm really, really excitedabout offering that perspective
for folks.
And then the resistance piece,we're going to have
opportunities to hear from bootson the ground activists that are
(33:52):
in these streets organizing andprotesting and offering mutual
aid and solidarity amongcommunities in so many ways.
One of the things I alsorecognize that a lot of our
community do not know how toorganize movements.
So we're going to have educationaround that.
We're also going to have somereal conversations talking about
(34:15):
how nursing needs to show up inthis moment, that nursing as a
profession and our foundation ispolitical.
I mean, we're dealing with thehealth and humanity of people in
their most vulnerable states.
So this is our time to ensure weare on the right side of
history.
And what does that look like?
So we're going to have lots ofum uh dialogue around that.
(34:40):
So I'm really, really excited.
And then to close out theconference, well, we'll start up
the conference.
We're gonna have a mix andmingle, which is a way for
allowing people just to kind ofconnect.
And it's gonna be pajama jammyjam to play off the rest.
And then we're gonna have agala, which we're calling the
gala de la resistance.
And that's we're asking peopleto embody their activism or
(35:01):
advocacy topics that they'repassionate about.
And so we're like either embodysomeone.
So I love Angela Davis.
I'm gonna be having my fro allthe way out, my black leather
coat and a gala dress.
And so we're asking people tobring that to the forefront.
And so I'm curious to see howpeople bring that to life.
(35:22):
And then on um the last day ofthe conference, we always love
to sponsor a local nonprofit inthe cities that we occupy.
And this year it's gonna be aSisters Touch.
And their mission is to focus onthe upliftment of um young girls
in the Oakland community andalso raise awareness around
human trafficking in Oakland,California.
SPEAKER_00 (35:44):
Okay.
And um, wonderful.
Oh, yeah, it's gonna be lit.
SPEAKER_01 (35:49):
Like I'm sad that you can't come.
SPEAKER_00 (35:51):
And so if you're not gonna be there this year and you
can't make it this year, whencan everyone come out next year
and put it on their calendars?
And do you have to be a DMP?
SPEAKER_01 (36:01):
You don't like we have this saying, you don't have
to be a DMP to sit with me.
The group is open to any andeveryone as long as they
understand that the mission,vision, and goals are always
going to be centered on DMPs ofcolor.
And so if you can rock withthat, you can sit with us.
And so every uh, and again, it'sabout branding for me.
(36:22):
So DMPs of color conference willalways be every third weekend in
October because it's around ourfounding date, which is October
19th, that we've coined NationalDMPs of color day.
And it is also the start ofNational DMP Week, which is
October 19th through the 25th.
(36:42):
Awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (36:44):
Writing down all those dates.
I know we've talked a lot aboutthe nursing aspect, and one
thing I've done in podcasts pastis always sort of bring it back
around to the business.
I would love to ask you somequestions about how you got
started.
SPEAKER_01 (36:59):
You know, it's I love that you asked this
question because I just got theepiphany that I'm a
businesswoman, like literallylike yesterday years old.
You know, I I promise you.
And the way it came to me was sowe have we with every conference
we have a board retreat.
And so we we have a consultantthat I was meeting with, and he
(37:24):
was like, You realize you'rerunning a business, right?
I'm like, you know, this is mypassion.
I just I, you know, I'm thefounder, this is great.
He was like, ma'am, you've beena membership-based organization
for a year now, you areaccepting people's coins.
That just took it to the nextlevel.
And I was like, I'm a businessperson.
SPEAKER_00 (37:43):
Yeah.
Starting off, when you firstthought about DNPs of color, I'm
curious, what made you thinknonprofit versus for-profit?
SPEAKER_01 (37:57):
You know, the nonprofit came from I had hired
a consultant, and a lot of thenursing associations are are
501c3s.
And so I wanted to align withthat.
And when I hired a nonprofitconsultant, she was laughing at
(38:17):
me.
She was like, You have doneeverything that you need to do
to launch this nonprofit.
Like, you don't need me.
I'm as she was like, I'm justhere to tell you just the
launch.
I, you know, because a lot ofthe stuff honestly came from a
lot of intuitiveness and thenjust also being part of other
(38:39):
membership associations, justkind of modeling some of those
things.
But I mean, I created everythingfrom the colors to the logo to
the taglines, the missionstatement, the vision statement,
the strategic objectives.
So the 501c3 just came frommodeling other membership
(39:00):
associations.
And now that we're growing,we're looking to expand to
either a C6, which will allow usto get more political, or even
have a backup strategy of anLLC, especially since there's a
lot of legislation aroundanti-DI and then also Away from
(39:23):
organizations.
Yes, and the legislationsagainst nonprofits.
So it's like, you know, we'reexploring other strategies
because our members want us toget political.
They're like, so what are wegonna say about California?
I'm like, we're just gonna just,you know, just keep on keeping
on, you know.
SPEAKER_00 (39:41):
Now, does DMPs of color have an official statement
yet about the ruling inCalifornia, the federal ruling
in California just yet?
SPEAKER_01 (39:50):
It's in the Megan because we're gonna be in
California.
So we're definitely gonna speakon it.
And because we're gonna be inthere talking about Dr.
McCain, we know, doctor, doctor,doctor.
And it's this has been aconversation since the beginning
of time.
I mean, we put we've put outstatements and had have had
some, you know, very heateddialogue conversations on can
(40:11):
you call me doctor?
So we absolutely will speak onit, but we can't go one way or
another.
We can't really get political.
So I'm hoping that we'll createa structure where we can get
more political because we'rerepresenting communities of
color, which are typically themost marginalized and
disenfranchised.
SPEAKER_02 (40:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (40:31):
You know, we've got to get out there lobbying and on
the hill and craftinglegislation.
And like one of my mentors, Dr.
Monica McIlmore, she's like,when you can't legislate,
litigate.
SPEAKER_00 (40:45):
So that's the way to do it.
So I do want to talk a littlebit about now.
I meet a lot of people who, whenthey talk about starting a
business, they say, I want tostart a nonprofit.
I know you had a consultantgiving you that final push.
You already had a lot of thingsalready planned and organized
for DMPs of color.
Would you talk about thestarting process about you need
(41:09):
a board?
And you have to have bylaws andyou have to have a board of
directors who are basicallyrunning the organization.
And then also the political sideof it too, those dollars, those
federal dollars that you mightwant to get in grants.
SPEAKER_01 (41:22):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (41:22):
If you can't do a lot of political activity.
SPEAKER_01 (41:26):
Yeah.
So when I had createdeverything, it was like, okay, I
need to find a crew.
And so I approached a lot of thepeople that were part of the
inaugural board of directorswere colleagues and mentors.
And there were a couple of folksthat I met through conferencing.
And we so we became a nonprofitin 2018 and then officially
(41:48):
launched in 2020.
And I felt like during the timeCOVID always sounded like a bad
idea to launch something new,but it was right on time for the
community because we became asupportive space for folks that
were going through.
SPEAKER_00 (42:03):
Yeah.
Because it was May 2020 when youlaunched it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right?
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (42:08):
And so and a lot of people's graduations were
canceled.
So we hosted virtualgraduations, which were a huge
hit because people wanted therecognition.
Like they had just finishedtheir doctoral studies, and it's
like they ain't even doing avirtual graduation.
So we did the virtualgraduation.
That's been a longstandingprogram that we've had.
(42:30):
That's always a huge hit.
And then we started hostingcommunity forums so that people
get that space to just debriefabout what's happening in
clinical practice.
Like, what are some of the thickchallenges you're experiencing?
How can we be of service ofsupport?
And yeah, so my first board ofdirectors were colleagues and
friends that were like, Yeah, wesee the vision.
(42:52):
This is great.
Like you've done everythingfoundationally.
Like, let's just, let's juststart.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (42:59):
And so, where do you see DMPs of color not only in
the near future?
I know you have a lot going onright now with the conferences
and just building the communitymore than you've already built
it.
Where do you see it in in thefuture, whether it's the next
five years, the next 10 years,or I have so many vast visions
(43:20):
for DMPs of color.
SPEAKER_01 (43:21):
Like my board now tells me to always like
Danielle, like slow down.
Talking to some of mycolleagues, I was like, I've got
so many ideas.
I need someone to fund my ideas.
So going back to the branding,I'm hard pressed on branding the
value and translating that valueinto coins.
(43:42):
Like, all right, here's thebrand, here's the value.
This is what I'm gonna need toget paid, you know, but also
being a leading voice increating this space for more
DMPs of color.
I see us navigating more spacesaround, building up our networks
of influence.
So helping folks advance theircareers, publications, creating
(44:07):
their own businesses.
I see us having speaker bureausand then us becoming our own
grant-giving organization wherewe can fund the projects that
are most meaningful to ourcommunities that will help with
eliminating these inequities.
I see us even doing globalthings, being part of a network
(44:28):
to create a DMP, a global DMPprogram.
We've started some earlyconversations with a group we
collaborate with called theGhanaian Diaspora Nursing
Alliance in Ghana and launchinga DMP school for the Ghanaian
and diaspora communities.
I see us, you know, growingexponentially nationwide and
(44:52):
globally to help unify a lot offolks that want to have access
to doctoral studies and thesupport and and being able to
truly leverage it fortransformation in whatever their
respective area is.
SPEAKER_00 (45:07):
Lots of work to do.
Lots of work to do.
Lots of work to do.
It sounds fun though.
Lots of work to do.
SPEAKER_01 (45:12):
It is fun.
And a lot, you know, I've beenso incredibly fortunate to have
a lot of people that want to dothe work.
Like, yeah, I'm like, youactually want to volunteer for
this committee or like donatethis money, you know.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (45:25):
And that was the next question.
So, how do people get involvedif they for the first time maybe
hearing about DMPs of color,especially if they're new to
nursing, or um, how would what'sthe best way to get involved?
I know membership is one way.
SPEAKER_01 (45:38):
Yes, you don't have to be in DMP.
You don't have to be in DMP tosit with me.
You can go to our website.
We have opportunities to join asmembers.
People are free to come to theannual conference.
People are free to even submitabstracts for the conference.
I like to post on LinkedIn, DMPsof color everywhere.
(45:59):
So our board of directors isvery accessible.
I'm very accessible.
People hit me up.
I love to have conversations.
Yes, hop on a Zoom, like let'sget it poppin'.
Let's see where there's youknow, networks align, if there's
someone I can introduce you to,vice versa.
So we're pretty accessible.
We're on all the social mediaplatforms.
(46:20):
We have committees that helpadvance the mission.
So there's always room forpeople to share their time,
talent, and treasure.
SPEAKER_00 (46:32):
Thank you so much.
So before I go, I want to askyou, or before we wrap up, I do
want to ask you a question.
If you had to think back acrossyour nursing career and your
nursing journey, what's onememorable story that you have
when it comes to patients orjust nursing in general?
SPEAKER_01 (46:55):
I guess one of the when I think back in COVID
times, one of the many rewardingopportunities was when people of
color come in and they see thatI'm a, you know, nurse
practitioner of color, just thatrelief that falls over people
when they see that, that theycan connect with the provider
(47:18):
and they can speak candidly andI'll understand and I can speak
candidly with them to createthat trust and rapport.
So I would say I always lovethat connection when communities
of color find that just relief,knowing, like, okay, someone
(47:39):
looks like me.
I know they're gonna look out, Iknow they're gonna hear me, I
know they're gonna understandme, and I know they're going to
do their best to take care ofme.
SPEAKER_00 (47:49):
That was Dr.
Danielle McCaney, founder of DPsof Color.
And remember that brief mentionabout motorcycles?
SPEAKER_01 (47:58):
So I ride a Suzuki Jickster 600.
People call it a crotch rocket,but I grew up with a family that
are bikers.
They ride Harleys, they're amotorcycle club, and I didn't
have a choice but to learn howto ride a motorcycle.
I started off riding theirbikes.
(48:20):
My uncles lived in the country,so we would just be throughout
the country roads and then endedup graduating to a street bike,
cross-rocket.
I love it.
It's nothing like being out onthe open road and just with your
thoughts, with nature.
Um, some people love it, somepeople hate it.
(48:43):
People are like, how are you anurse practitioner and you're
riding a donor cycle?
I'm like, look, life is a risk.
You choose which risk you wantand move forward as long as what
you're doing is not hurtinganybody and it brings you joy.
SPEAKER_00 (48:59):
Hey, thanks so much for listening to the show this
week.
To follow Dr.
McCainy and see her full body ofwork, check out the show notes.
Also, please make sure to rateand review this episode in your
favorite podcast app.
Then, don't forget to click thefollow button so you won't miss
an episode.
Did you know we also have anewsletter?
You can get early access topodcast episode drops, nurse
(49:23):
spotlights, notices aboutvirtual or live events, behind
the scenes action, and exclusivedetails on how to share your
story over on our website or onthe show.
And it's free.
Head on over tothebostynurse.com forward slash
join.
That's thebostynurse.com forwardslash join.
And last thought, the State ofNursing and Nurse
(49:45):
Entrepreneurship Survey is nowhere.
Add your voice across fivepillars, including AI, business,
career advancement, self-care,and lifestyle design.
Share what's real at work and inyour ventures, and get entered
to win some pretty cool prizesfor participating.
Your voice matters, so take thesurvey now at thebosty nurse.com
(50:09):
forward slash survey.
This episode was produced andedited by yours truly with
administrative and researchsupport from Liz Alexandri and
Brenon Silva.
I'm Marcia Batti, and you'vebeen listening to the Boston
Earth Podcast.
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