Who thinks this school is jumping the gun on the DNP?

Specialties Doctoral

Published

I have been working for the last few months trying to "map out" where I am going to receive my BSN and NNP, b/c I don't want any suprises when it comes time to apply for these programs.

I also have to be sure to establish a residency in the state that I am moving to so I don't pay out-of-state tuition.

Univeristy of Tennessee of Health Sciences, I called them yesterday regarding their NNP program and was excited to find it was offered online (and a state I was considering moving to when I am done here).

However, before I got off the phone, they asked, "When are you graduating?" and I said, "Not for awhile, I'm a new student but just trying to plan."

They said that starting in 2008, they are phasing out all of their advanced practice nursing programs, you would go from a BSN to a DNP.

That sounds all fine and dandy, but it's 3 1/2 years of SCHOOL that I don't want to put in. There is a HUGE financial difference between working for 2 years to get the work requirement in, being in school for 20 months vs going for 3 1/2 years straight. I just have no desire to have a "doctorate".

Are they jumping the gun with this? I thought this was something that the ANA was tossing around but it ranked up there with having a BSN as a minimal requirement to be an RN...sounds great, but you need to have enough in the profession before you can "bump" the requrement.

Has anyone heard this at other schools?

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

The DNP is a degree that will apply across the board for the NP. It will not apply to certain specialty areas of NP advanced practice only.

CRNA's, too, face the same degree requirement, but I believe their time frame is at or about 10 years past the 2015 for the NP.

I have no information for the CNM.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I have no information for the CNM.

The ACNM does NOT support requiring the DNP for entry to practice for midwives. AMCB - the credentialing agency for CNMs - also credentials Certified Midwives (CMs), who meet all the same educational and clinical requirements as CNMs, but are not nurses. There are many midwives who do not agree with requiring all midwives to be trained or licensed as nurses, including the current president of the ACNM.

Obviously, requiring a DNP then leaves the question of what degree to require for CMs. If a doctoral program were to be developed that was based on midwifery education - not nursing - it might be more likely to be endorsed by the ACNM.

Here is the ACNM's statement on the DNP - http://www.acnm.org/siteFiles/position/Midwifery_Ed_and_DNP_6_07.pdf

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Thank you for the link, beckinben.

It will be interesting how all of this plays out.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment