The 2021 AACN Essentials apply across the whole continuum of nursing education, but at the doctoral level they ask for something deeper than entry-level competence. DNP candidates demonstrate Level 2 (advanced) competencies — not just appraising and applying evidence, but leading its translation into sustained, system-level change. Your scholarly project is the central artifact for proving that. This guide maps how a DNP project demonstrates the ten domains at Level 2, and how to make that alignment explicit to your committee.
Level 1 vs. Level 2 at the doctoral level
The same ten domains run through BSN, MSN, and DNP education, but the sub-competencies escalate. Where a baccalaureate nurse applies evidence to a unit problem, a DNP graduate leads the translation of evidence into organizational change and evaluates its impact. The defining verbs of Level 2 are lead, translate, design, evaluate, disseminate, sustain. Your project should read in those verbs. For the foundational AACN framework, see our AACN Essentials guide.
How the project demonstrates each domain
| Domain | Level 2 demonstration in a DNP project |
|---|---|
| Knowledge for Nursing Practice | Integrating science and theory to frame a practice problem |
| Person-Centered Care | Designing a change that improves patient-centered outcomes |
| Population Health | Addressing outcomes for a panel or population |
| Scholarship | Leading evidence translation, not just appraisal |
| Quality & Safety | Targeting and measuring a quality/safety improvement |
| Interprofessional Partnerships | Coordinating stakeholders to implement change |
| Systems-Based Practice | Designing change that fits and improves the system |
| Informatics & Technologies | Using data systems to measure outcomes |
| Professionalism | Ethical, accountable project leadership |
| Leadership Development | Demonstrating and reflecting on practice leadership |
The four domains a DNP project leans on most
While a strong project touches many domains, four carry the most weight:
- Scholarship — the project is evidence translation. This is where Level 2 is most visible.
- Quality & Safety — the measurable improvement at the project's core.
- Systems-Based Practice — the change must work within (and improve) a real system.
- Interprofessional Partnerships — implementation depends on coordinating others.
These also distinguish a DNP project from a PhD dissertation, which centers on knowledge generation rather than system change. See DNP scholarly project consulting for how this shapes scoping.
Want your DNP project to demonstrate Level 2 clearly?
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Improve my academic draftSee academic servicesMaking the alignment explicit
Many programs ask DNP candidates to map their project to the AACN Essentials directly — sometimes as an appendix or competency table. Even when it isn't required, doing it sharpens the document: each section can signal the competency it demonstrates. Three practical moves:
- Use Level 2 verbs. "Led the implementation," "translated the evidence," "evaluated the outcome" — not "described" or "summarized."
- Tie the project to measurable system impact. That single move covers Quality & Safety and Systems-Based Practice at once.
- Name the partnerships. Make interprofessional coordination visible rather than implied.
Where Level 2 alignment breaks down
- Writing the project at BSN depth — appraising evidence but never leading change.
- Stopping at implementation without evaluating impact or planning sustainability.
- Leaving interprofessional and systems work implicit, so the competency isn't visible.
Related Guides
AACN Domains for DNP Work FAQ
Level 1 is entry-level (BSN) — applying and appraising evidence. Level 2 is advanced (master's/DNP) — leading evidence translation and system-level change. The same domains apply; the depth differs.
Scholarship, Quality & Safety, Systems-Based Practice, and Interprofessional Partnerships carry the most weight, because the project is fundamentally evidence translation producing measurable system change.
Some programs require it; many don't. Either way, mapping deliberately strengthens the document by making each section's competency visible.
Through Level 2 verbs and concrete actions — leading implementation, coordinating stakeholders, driving and sustaining change — rather than describing what others did.
Because it has a different purpose: translating evidence into practice change rather than generating new knowledge. That shifts the emphasis toward systems, quality, and leadership competencies.