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Can someone explain to me why one would choose to get a PhD in nursing rather than get an MD/DO? Also, what is the scope/difference of education/training between RNs, NPs, and PhD in nursing?
PhD in nursing
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Because that person loves the nursing profession and wants to enhance his/her knowledge. Is it so hard to believe that someone could feel that way?
Why not ask the same question of someone who gets a PhD in music/art/English, etc.? Why not go to med school instead and be a real doctor?
Maybe the individual in question wants to teach, to publish. What does it matter, really? If it makes her happy and she enjoys her work, that should be enough.
Try to grasp the concept that nursing is a profession independent of physicians...once you understand that, it's a little easier to see.
Why not ask the same question of someone who gets a PhD in music/art/English, etc.? Why not go to med school instead and be a real doctor?
Maybe the individual in question wants to teach, to publish. What does it matter, really? If it makes her happy and she enjoys her work, that should be enough.
Try to grasp the concept that nursing is a profession independent of physicians...once you understand that, it's a little easier to see.
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a direct comparison of a PhD in fields like music with medicine would not be fair. However, a PhD in nursing vs. MD/DO is a fair comparison. Both deal with patients, their health, etc... What I'm trying to ask (for the people who chose this route) is why they chose this route? Even if you have a PhD in nursing, they still do not have privileges and rights that fully-licensed physicians have.
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do you know what a phd is? that is why the previous poster asked you to use the same questioning with a person pursuing music/english etc. a phd is a doctorate in a particular field. a md/do is something completely different. if one gets a phd in a field for example biology, they can't practice medicine, they usually teach at an university level and do research. that is basically what a nurse with a phd would do. they would not be on the floor putting in IVs or giving medications. a md/phd would be a more similar comparison because they would be more involved with academia and research 
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What privileges and rights of licensed physicians are nurses lacking? Nurses and physicians, while both in the medical field, are very different jobs. That's like asking why someone would get a Ph.D in English rather than be a manager at Abercrombie and Fitch. I mean, a Ph.D. in English won't get you all the privileges and rights like a A&F manager has (i.e. employee discounts). You may think that nurses and docs are similar and docs are superior or something like that. There needs to be a complete understanding that nurses are an integral member of the health sector; they work complementary to docs and other members like lab techs and physical therapists and many others, as vice versa.
By the way, there are many nurses with Ph.D. who do research to promote better nursing and write nursing text books and such -- that's pretty cool.
By the way, there are many nurses with Ph.D. who do research to promote better nursing and write nursing text books and such -- that's pretty cool.
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coolness said:
(This is the kind of attitude that makes some nurses get pissy with med students.) Try to wrap your mind around the idea that not everyone wants to be a physician. Why is that so hard to comprehend? Your comments smack of a "God complex" in the making...better reign that in, and fast.
Thank your lucky stars there are people who get PhD's in nursing; there wouldn't be any nurses left after a while. (You know, the people who are with the patients all day long.)
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obadya00 said:do you know what a phd is? that is why the previous poster asked you to use the same questioning with a person pursuing music/english etc. a phd is a doctorate in a particular field. a md/do is something completely different. if one gets a phd in a field for example biology, they can't practice medicine, they usually teach at an university level and do research. that is basically what a nurse with a phd would do. they would not be on the floor putting in IVs or giving medications. a md/phd would be a more similar comparison because they would be more involved with academia and research
Actually, there are many opportunities for nurses with doctorates to still work in direct pt. care.
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Nurses can do any number of things with a Ph.D. Like previously stated, some want to be nursing educators (why would someone go to med school to be a nursing educator?), some want to do nursing research (again, why would a nurse want to go to med school to do research?). The list goes on and on. I don't mean to have a harsh tone, I just think the original poster did not understand EXACTLY what a nurse with a doctorate can do.
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PhDs in nursing are not necessarily clinicians. Most work away from the bedside, either in academia or research.
Personally, as a nurse, I would rather earn a PhD in another field (such as Physiology or Microbiology) to do either of the above. A PhD is not required in nursing to teach, do research, or become a school dean -- you can obtain a PhD in ANY related field. To become a more advanced clinician, either an NP or MD is the way to go for a former RN.
Personally, as a nurse, I would rather earn a PhD in another field (such as Physiology or Microbiology) to do either of the above. A PhD is not required in nursing to teach, do research, or become a school dean -- you can obtain a PhD in ANY related field. To become a more advanced clinician, either an NP or MD is the way to go for a former RN.
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coolness said:
Trying to compare a PhD in nursing to MD/DO is like comparing apples to... well nothing. It's impossible. They are for entirely different things. One's for practicing medicine, the other is (more often than not) for teaching. As far as I'm concerned, a PhD in nursing is the most worthless thing you could have. (and I'm getting a master's in nursing now)
All you RN/NPs out there: remember all the crap classes that you had to write papers about how sister calista roy washed her hands? Getting a PhD would be nothing but the crap classes....
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A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a person who has demonstrated expertise in a particular field (thus, the "Doctor") and has made a significant and original contribution to the field in the form of new research, theory, etc (thus the "philosophy" part). Thus, a person awarded the PhD for a thesis concerning nursing theory/research is considered an "expert" nurse, and can best be thought of as a person who pioneers new developments and leads the profession in new directions (either as an educator, researcher, clinician, etc).
On the other hand, a Doctor of Medicine is a person who is considered an expert in the field of Medicine. An MD is awarded for satisfying the coursework requirements of a medical program, and while many people who have been awarded the MD will go into research etc, many are happy to remain in clinical practice (some medical programs only offer the combined MB BS, however graduates still adopt the title "Doctor" for professional recognition purposes - just a snippet of trivia for you...). Recently, many universities have introduced the DNSc (or Doctorate of Nursing Science), in recognition of the fact that nursing has evolved to the point where it has several subdisciplines in its own right and that there is now a need for a coursework program at the doctorate level as in medicine.
Thus, people who choose to study for the award of PhD in Nursing aim to further the development of nursing as a profession (generally). As many posters have stated, you can not compare the knowledge of a Doctor of Philosophy to a Doctor of Medicine (unless of course an MD studies for a PhD, in which case its a whole new bag of kettle crisps...) - nursing and medicine are two different disciplines that just happen to share similar goals.
On the other hand, a Doctor of Medicine is a person who is considered an expert in the field of Medicine. An MD is awarded for satisfying the coursework requirements of a medical program, and while many people who have been awarded the MD will go into research etc, many are happy to remain in clinical practice (some medical programs only offer the combined MB BS, however graduates still adopt the title "Doctor" for professional recognition purposes - just a snippet of trivia for you...). Recently, many universities have introduced the DNSc (or Doctorate of Nursing Science), in recognition of the fact that nursing has evolved to the point where it has several subdisciplines in its own right and that there is now a need for a coursework program at the doctorate level as in medicine.
Thus, people who choose to study for the award of PhD in Nursing aim to further the development of nursing as a profession (generally). As many posters have stated, you can not compare the knowledge of a Doctor of Philosophy to a Doctor of Medicine (unless of course an MD studies for a PhD, in which case its a whole new bag of kettle crisps...) - nursing and medicine are two different disciplines that just happen to share similar goals.
