DNP Required???

[makana16]

I have read rumors that a DNP will likely be required for all NPs in the future. Does anyone know how likely this is? Or how quickly they would put this into affect? I am currently saving up money to go back to school to become a CNM. (I have a bachelors and masters in social work) My husband and I would like to pay off debt from our first degrees before we both return to school for our second careers. I was planning on the slower, more economical route in order to incur as little debt as possible (ADN-BSN-MSN/CNM). However, if this is going to mean I will miss the cutoff for being grandfathered in with a MSN, I may try to hurry up this process a little more. Does anyone know when or if they will begin requiring a DNP?

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

What is the thinking behind schools discontinuing the MSN and moving towards a DNP degree if it's not a requirement?

Credential inflation a.k.a. $$$ for schools...

[broughden]

I was planning on the slower, more economical route in order to incur as little debt as possible (ADN-BSN-MSN/CNM).

Dont do this. At a typical state community college (since you are looking to keep costs low) the ADN nursing program will run 5 semesters. At your typical state university the BSN 2nd degree program will also run just 5 semesters, and if they offer an accelerated then you can even go during the summer and complete it faster.

So by going straight for the BSN you are getting the higher degree in the same time or faster, and at roughly the same in state cost.

[babyNP., APRN]

Money?

It's happening more and more with NP programs because the NP legislative body is continuing to threaten to make the DNP the point of entry. The CNM legislative body makes no such threats, so I don't see MSN/CNM programs going away any time soon.

Yeah, there are only a handful of schools doing this right now. I think your biggest threat would be if at a school where there are NP specialties, generally the whole school switches over to DNP, not leaving out exceptions for something like NM. But again, like you said, probably not going to go away for a long time.

I agree that DNP isn't that useful (speaking for my own field, I wouldn't presume to know about others). Might be useful to have the extra clinical hours for direct entry grads, but one doesn't need a full year to do this...