Doctoral degree to become an NP???

Specialties Doctoral

Published

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is calling for the requirement of doctorate in nursing for advanced practice nurses, such as nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse anesthetists. This new degree will be called a Doctor of Nursing Practice and, if the AACN has its way, will become the entry level for advanced nursing practice.

AACN Position Statement on the Practice Doctorate in Nursing

We will be grandfathered in.

People who are now (or are by the time of the deadline) APNs will still be considered APNs and able to practice as such, but there may be difficulties in getting licensed in another state if you want to move to another state. That's what happened when the MSN was made the requirement and there were lots of certificate APNs in practice. You could continue just fine in your current state, but you couldn't get licensed in a new state.

Of course, the question is still hypothetical, since nothing about this is official yet.

People who are now (or are by the time of the deadline) APNs will still be considered APNs and able to practice as such, but there may be difficulties in getting licensed in another state if you want to move to another state. That's what happened when the MSN was made the requirement and there were lots of certificate APNs in practice. You could continue just fine in your current state, but you couldn't get licensed in a new state.

Of course, the question is still hypothetical, since nothing about this is official yet.

Do you know that for certain? Have you seen on any BONs where they are planning to only offer licenses to DNPs after 2015? I personally don't think that would happen for many years to come.

thanks,

KJ

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
Do you know that for certain?

Yes.

The current NP with an MSN will be grandfathered in. The DNP is not to disenfranchise the current NP.

Have you seen on any BONs where they are planning to only offer licenses to DNPs after 2015?

No, for as elkpark pointed out, this is a vision only. It has not yet come to pass.

Do you know that for certain? Have you seen on any BONs where they are planning to only offer licenses to DNPs after 2015? I personally don't think that would happen for many years to come.

thanks,

KJ

People who are now (or are by the time of the deadline) APNs will still be considered APNs and able to practice as such, but there may be difficulties in getting licensed in another state if you want to move to another state. That's what happened when the MSN was made the requirement and there were lots of certificate APNs in practice. You could continue just fine in your current state, but you couldn't get licensed in a new state.

Of course, the question is still hypothetical, since nothing about this is official yet.

As I said ...

I'm reacting to various posts I've seen emphasizing nursing's perspective (vs. medicine's) and how the advanced degrees (NP, DNP) further learning and the science of the nursing perspective. I however, with total respect and appreciation for the nursing approach to patient care and healthcare in general, have not recognized any advancement of "nursing" per se in the work NP's do, I see their work and skills as a "medical" extension to their responsibilities. DNPs/NPs are not identifying more advanced nursing diagnoses. They are not implementing more sophisticated nursing interventions. They are performing skills that are generally "medical". This is NOT a criticism whatsoever! The NP's I've worked with are awesome and I aspire to their talents! I am firmly planted in the camp that would hope there would be much more clinical training in the DNP curriculums I've read about so far, even in the NP programs. And I do not think much of the DNP coursework that seems to exist primarily to justify or emphasize the "nursing" nature of the DNP degree when it really belongs in different programs: public health administration, PhD, MBA... etc.

One of the issues that troubles nursing is defining what we do. A line was drawn decades ago about what nurses could not do but it was not always nurses who drew the line. Physicians and others did. They decided what we could do. For instance, anesthesia was first performed by nurses and when seen a being profitable, physicians determined that they should be the only ones doing it. OR nursing was first nursing but now surgical technicians have decided that they should be the only ones performing this type of nursing since it is so specialized and nursing is too general. (They are trying to kick RNs out of the OR).

So I don't have an issue if prescribing or diagnosing is seen as medical. It may be nursing as well.

Take wound care. Most of the research is done by nurses but if they discover that certain antibiotics work best and we teach this to other NPs that then mean we are expanding medicine and not nursing? There is a lot that can be done in wound care that is not medicine related but involves more nursing things.

Just one example I can think of.

As I said ...

Sorry, I did not present my question very clearly, and it came off a bit defensive.

What I meant to say was ... I have noticed on several BONs that they have grandfathered in certificate, then bachelors, NPs... as to say- if licensed prior to 19xx, then only required a bachelors, ect.

I was posing the question, (when/if DNP becomes required for NPs) do you think that once licensed in one state with a MSN that you will be grandfathered in if moving to another state?

I think my question has already been answered, but I just wanted to clarify-- I did not want you to think I was trolling or hard of reading... haha thanks. :)

Possibly not. If you let your license laspe then you might even need to go back and get the DNP to get re-licensed. That is how I understand it after talking with some professors in the DNP program.

Possibly not. If you let your license laspe then you might even need to go back and get the DNP to get re-licensed. That is how I understand it after talking with some professors in the DNP program.

oh ok... thanks.

-KJ

Possibly not. If you let your license laspe then you might even need to go back and get the DNP to get re-licensed. That is how I understand it after talking with some professors in the DNP program.

This would only apply if an individual state BON moved to requiring a DNP education for NPs. If after this requirement is passed, the license expires, yes a DNP would be required.

I am currently in a doctorate program at UMASS. It will only take me about a year longer going part time than getting my masters. There are different tracks in the program - family nurse practitioner, community health nurse and psych. I really like it and feel it will bring me to my full potential.

Specializes in CT ICU, OR, Orthopedic.

Only a year longer PART TIME? Hmmm...I am curious if your program has been acredited yet...I go full time, and my program is 4 years full time, and 6 part time (BSN to DNP).Now I must admit though that my first year I only have one class in the summer, because they don't offer full time in the summer the first year, but still... Are you referring to going part time for your masters (which takes about 3 years), and then going full time for your DNP? So that is how you are coming to your "one year longer"? I'm just curious. I know that the programs vary a little, but that seems like a very big variation.The difference between 3 years, and 6...

Sorry--It is a year full time but I am doing it part time. It will probably take me three years to complete. BTW--I finished my masters this past summer so I have those courses done. The BSN to DNP program now is 3 full time years post BSN.

The program is fully accredited.

+ Add a Comment