BSN to DNP with no nursing experience

Specialties Doctoral

Updated:   Published

What are the advantages/disadvantages of going directly from a BSN to DNP program without obtaining significant nursing experience in between?

Every DNP program that I've looked at requires several hundred hours of master's level clinical hours.

Not all of them: http://www.umass.edu/nursing/programs/pro_grad_DNP/DNP_Flyer.pdf

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

The brochure and FAQ link state that the public health nursing leadership is primarily online, however the NP-associated DNPs have "practica" and other courses on the university campus. This sounds like in-person clinical time to me. I can't imagine an NP degree not having clinical hours.

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My thought is "how do you even know you like nursing enough to get your doctorate in it without ever really experiencing what it's like to be a nurse?"

I have my BSN, and this summer will complete my first year in a Peds ICU. I would like to one day get my masters, but right now i enjoy where I am, and I also wouldn't know what to get my masters in yet!

I had several friends who went right from getting their bachelor's in education to masters programs without ever actually teaching a class. Sadly, a few realized after the fact that teaching wasn't for them. I'd hate to waste 3-4 years of my life on something i thought i wanted, only to find out it wasn't what i thought.

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http://www.rushu.rush.edu/nursing/degreeopt.html

From the Rush University website:

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) graduate is a doctorally prepared nurse with expertise in outcomes management and is prepared to function as a leader in complex environments. The DNP program is 40 credit hours and can be completed on-line in two years on a part-time basis.

I guess the focus may differ from one university to another. I interpreted this to be a clinical degree.

The DNP is supposed to replace the MSN degree that many APN's like CNM's, NP's, etc. now earn by 2015. It is practice oriented. I am sorry. At the risk of sounding old and grumpy, I have an opinion which may be unpopular w/ some. The value of bedside experience cannot be overemphasized. To be an NP after never being a RN, puts you at a disadvantage, IMHO. I thought for a long time, this was the edge NP's had over PA's. Now we are more equal. The trouble is, equal may mean we are now less. I just don' think this is what is good for our profession or our patients.

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Specializes in Critical care.

I think experience is a great asset. I am glad I had almost 6 years of exp when I went back for MSN program. The program I graduated from, required 2 years of exp to enter. The experience I had really did help. And then going back to work on PhD, I am glad that I had the MSN under my belt, it was an also very helpful while I was working on PhD. I am now looking into DNP program, problem is it is expensive as right now there is only one program in North TX. Only 2 I think in TX, haven't looked in a while.

I would definitely get some experience as nurse and see if it is something you enjoy.

Good luck...

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I don't understand how a program can hand a Doctorate over to someone without requiring any clinical experience and only requiring courses online.

Just the same way a university hands over a Pharm D or DPT to those without experience :-)

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Just the same way a university hands over a Pharm D or DPT to those without experience :-)

that's completely different, those degrees are entry-level for practice.

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the DNP at my school requires a masters degree, and you have to have 2 years of experience to start the masters program after completing your bachelors.

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that's completely different, those degrees are entry-level for practice.

and the MSN/DNP is the entry-level for practice as a nurse practitioner, which is a completely different role than that of the RN, not a progression of the same role. I know it is called "advanced practice nursing", but is it really? Nurses do not diagnose or prescribe, nurse practitioners do. Their functions are entirely different.

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and the MSN/DNP is the entry-level for practice as a nurse practitioner, which is a completely different role than that of the RN, not a progression of the same role. I know it is called "advanced practice nursing", but is it really? Nurses do not diagnose or prescribe, nurse practitioners do. Their functions are entirely different.

I think it's the assessment that links the two.

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I think it's the assessment that links the two.

Yet, it is not necessarily a nursing assessment, since the objective is to formulate a medical diagnosis. MDs and PAs perform assessments in the form of the history and physical examination. This is the same assessment that the NP would be performing at this level of practice, as opposed to the nursing assessment, which does not lead to medical diagnosis but rather to nursing diagnoses which are targeted to nursing care rather than medical management.

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I think that any experience is an asset, however the role and scope of practice of a BSN as compared to a Nurse Practitioner is vastly different... and the BSN can never get that experience.

I agree with the earlier poster who stated that the New DNP should have a residency as would a new Physician. the fact is that anyone graduating from a higher level of practice degree is unprepared to practice autonomously imediately after graduation. Yet, only with the degree are you allowed to practice at that level.

I guess my point is that, where RN nursing experience is valuable, I do not feel that it is necessary to DNP graduate.

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