Barbara Hannon, RN, MSN, DNP, Mount Desert Island Hospital’s vice president of nursing services and chief nursing officer, recently earned a doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) degree from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professionals.
The DNP degree differs from the more widely recognized PhD degree in that the DNP represents the highest degree level for professionals in practice. A PhD degree program is typically focused on academia and research.
Hannon’s doctorate degree is centered on executive leadership, hospital administration and finance. “In this day and age nurses need to be prepared to the highest level of education that they can attain because primary care nursing becomes a really important part of health care reform,” she said. In addition to her role at MDI Hospital, Hannon is leading the Maine Action Coalition, a statewide committee that is charged with creating a plan of action to usher in the future of nursing.
For Hannon, earning a doctorate degree fulfills a lifelong goal and would not have been possible without the unwavering support of her husband, John Vishio.