Anyone applying to PhD programs?

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

I am finding that the PhD application and preparation process is quite different from applying to MSN or DNP programs. I was going to apply to the local state university PhD nursing program, but found that I have to identify a major professor before even applying. I have some specific and narrow interests, to be sure, but none of them seem to align well with those of the professors there that are a) not retiring and b) are accepting new students. Starting a PhD in nursing seemed like the next natural step for me to take. Now I'm not so sure.

I'm going to look into public health instead of just assuming that nursing is the only option, or just immersing myself in practice-related journals that I haven't had time to keep up with as much as I'd like.

Anyone else looking at applying to PhD (anywhere) rather than DNP programs?

[llg, PhD, RN]

Just to explain a bit ... The reason you need to identify a research focus before admission is so that the school can be sure it has the resources to meet your needs. The PhD is an academic research degree ... and a student needs to start developing that research (dissertation) in the first semester of coursework. It can be a disaster for the student (and a big problem for the school) when students enter a PhD program and then start pursuing research on a topic for which there is no faculty person who has enough expertise in that topic to be of help and chair the dissertation committee.

Is a PhD really the type of education that you want? Do you want to be a researcher? Do you want to do academic work? If so, then you should be able to identify the focus of your research interest. The problem is then to find a school that has a faculty member to mentor you -- even if it is an online program. Is there a way to "bend" your interest area to be of interest to one of the available local faculty members? That is how a lot of people deal with your situation.

Good luck!

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

Thanks, llg!

I have indeed spent a lot of time perusing the different faculty members' active research interests. The few nursing faculty whose interests are germane to my own are phasing into retirement (the others are mostly into HIV research, pediatrics, and maternity-related issues). The public health professors, on the other hand, are doing vibrant community-based research and seem to have careers on the upswing (the research projects should seem exciting, no?)