Any nursing PhDs + ARNP?

[Justine]

Hi everyone,

I regularly post in allnurses.com, but I've been trying to branch out to other forums in the hopes of learning new information. If this is inappropriate for this forum, I apologize, and will delete if necessary. I just graduated with my BSN and have a job in the NICU (neonatal), pending that I pass the NCLEX : ). Eventually I would like to get my DNP and then my PhD and wanted to know if anyone else has done the same, or something similar.

Also, here's an edited version of what I posted in allnurses with some questions, since I'm still learning more about the PhD program in nursing:

What's the PhD nursing program like? A lot of reading and research? And does it prepare you for anything else besides being a professor and research? How competitive is it to get into the programs and is there anything I can do in my career now as an RN to make myself more competitive?

I graduated with a 3.49 (yes, I know, and the last "A" that I needed to round it off came out as a 92.5% if you can believe it), but I was enrolled in the university's honors program and I've been involved in a lot of student leadership programs, which included an Americorps project and I hope to do some service with Doctors without Borders (will try to take the tropical medicine course at Johns Hopkins next summer). Does this sound relatively competitive?

Thank you for your insight!

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[dfk]

i don't know why you'd pursue two doctoral programs.
why not take the PhD route with a clinical research focus?
you'd serve yourself and the public much better.

and if you wanted to be an ARNP, you need master's.
which is what you'd have either way.

 

[fab4fan]

As a new grad, the best thing you can do to make yourself more competetive is to listen and learn from the experienced nurses on your unit.

One of the biggest mistakes new grads make is to have huge plans for the future, while not taking the time to build a solid foundation.

 

[Justine]

dfk, I'm not sure if you've heard, but one has to get a DNP starting in 2015, or at least the ANA is leaning that way. As someone who is at the beginning of her career rather than the end, I would rather get the DNP and not skate by with an MSN.

Also: As a PhD, I won't be able to practice as an ARNP, but with an ARNP, I won't be able to have a good research background. I'd like to do both and have met professors who have done both (quite a few actually). I've asked for their input and am just seeking other opinions that are out there.

fab4fan, trust me, I won't be doing anything else come September-January but making sure my babies aren't dying on my shift (hopefully thriving!). I've heard most people cry when they get home while on orientation and I've specifically told my family and friends that they won't be able to come see me during that time (I'm moving across the country). But it does seem a bit far away with this nice hot summer that I'm having : ) Thank you for the reminding though.

 

[UCFMOP]

Why dont you just go to medical school and be a REAL doctor instead of nurse "doctor"?

By the way, doctors without borders does not recognize PAs not sure what NPs do in the field, hence the name of the foundation. They do however need nurses, I mean real nurses like bedside nurses.

 

[dfk]

dfk, I'm not sure if you've heard, but one has to get a DNP starting in 2015, or at least the ANA is leaning that way. As someone who is at the beginning of her career rather than the end, I would rather get the DNP and not skate by with an MSN.

Also: As a PhD, I won't be able to practice as an ARNP, but with an ARNP, I won't be able to have a good research background. I'd like to do both and have met professors who have done both (quite a few actually). I've asked for their input and am just seeking other opinions that are out there.

fab4fan, trust me, I won't be doing anything else come September-January but making sure my babies aren't dying on my shift (hopefully thriving!). I've heard most people cry when they get home while on orientation and I've specifically told my family and friends that they won't be able to come see me during that time (I'm moving across the country). But it does seem a bit far away with this nice hot summer that I'm having : ) Thank you for the reminding though.

well justine,
the mandate varies with the type of nursing degree one pursues.
it gets complicated too.
in my speak, the "mandate" for anesthesia is shooting for 2025.
some schools have already put this in place for requirements (VCU comes to mind).
some schools plan on instituting it before the projected date of 2025.
the requirement would be to be doctorally prepared, not just DNP.
in many states, CRNAs are considered ARNPs, so any doctorate (DNSc, DNP, DNAP, DNS, ND, PhD) would suffice (to my current understanding).

can you tell me what makes you think you can't practice as an ARNP with a PhD? you are clearly misinformed. unless of course it's a state thing, but where i am, there's no issue.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

A Ph.D. in nursing is a far different animal than a DNP. If you want to do research...get a Ph.D, because you will need a good basis in research/stats/methods, etc.

As for the DNP.....that is a hornet's nest, since it has mixed support at best. I'm not sure it really will enhance much, particularly if you are looking to be more on the research side.

 

[Jawbone]

Why dont you just go to medical school and be a REAL doctor instead of nurse "doctor"?


Not sure what NPs do in the field, hence the name of the foundation. They do however need nurses, I mean real nurses like bedside nurses.

Why don't you take some time to objectively educate yourself on nursing doctorates and their role in healthcare? Try looking someplace other than the maniacal propaganda spouted on this forum.

Not everyone wants to be a "real doctor."

Perhaps the life/career goals of the OP are leading to a great career as a nurse educator/researcher, or a neonatal NP with a DNP degree!

No education is a waste.


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As far as the DNP, that is a "recommendation" at this point. You would be grandfathered in, as long as you finished your MSN before 2015 in any specialty.

As far as choosing between a PhD and a DNP, you need to decide if you want a clinical focus or a research/education focus. I was initially considering the DNP, as I'll be finishing up my MSN/NNP in a year or so, but I am becoming more and more interested in a multidisciplinary PhD in Medical Genetics degree I saw recently. Especially as a NNP, the extra education that the DNP offers does not really seem to translate to better practice in the NICU. The goals of most DNP programs are to further prepare MSN NPs to practice across the primary care spectrum, in all specialties. An FNP or ANP would really see an expansion of practice knowledge, as opposed to an NNP. That's just my opinion.

 

[Justine]

Why dont you just go to medical school and be a REAL doctor instead of nurse "doctor"?

By the way, doctors without borders does not recognize PAs not sure what NPs do in the field, hence the name of the foundation. They do however need nurses, I mean real nurses like bedside nurses.

I've considered that. I'm not sure what kind of quality of life I can give to my potential future family, however. I'm going to work for this first year and see where I stand on things. I would love to attend medical school to have the knowledge and then work as an RN. Haha, isn't that silly? But I like spending time with my patients and I'm afraid that unless I was a clinic doc or a ER doc I wouldn't have that chance.

DWB takes NPs as well as RNs and they function more of a public health nurse role, from what I understand. I'm hoping to attend the Johns Hopkins tropical medicine course next summer to make me a more competitive applicant and also study up to get an RNC, which certifies that I'm an "expert" RN in my field (NICU-neonatal). After orientation, I'm also hoping to take an EMT course and volunteer on an ambulance. If I didn't love babies so much, I would do trauma/ER patients (I worked as a nurse tech on a trauma surg floor and loved it), and this would give me an opportunity to give back to my community and keep up good assessment skills. The adrenaline rush isn't bad either 😉

Jawbone, I would like to eventually become a faculty member and perform research (writing is my strength and my love-hate pet), but again with the ARNP, I would have that extra knowledge and I would LOVE to have it, but again, would want to work in a clinic setting so that I actually meet with my patients. I've sent away for information from different programs throughout the country and a suprisingly large amount of them have MSN/PhD programs.

What's more: they pay for it! The tuition + a stipend. What novel idea 🙂

Thank you everyone for your insights so far.