DNP Admission Essay Conundrum

Oldmahubbard · Aug 27, 2019

You want to maximize your knowledge base to improve outcomes. No lies probably necessary.

I guess they hear that alot.

You want to work with such and such a population.

I very much doubt most of their candidates will have anything much more specific than that

DrCOVID, DNP · Oct 15, 2019

To be honest, your post to me is a conundrum; Why get a degree, pay for and spend 3 or more years of your life doing something you are not going to use? "Because I just want to finish..." LoL

You do a DNP because; you want better job opportunity, more money, better quality of life etc... I can also state for certain provider life is 10x better then being a floor RN.

Also, as a current year 2 out of 3 DNP student, I will tell you if you don't like doing things to satisfy someone else, you are going to have a tough time going back to school. That is literally all I am doing; writing papers in APA on a professor selected topic to satisfy said professor. Guess what? Next year APA 7 is coming out so I gotta use that to make sure my profs are happy!! My discussion board this week is on health geonomics! Well ok, I'll admit I'm slightly interested in pharmacogenetic testing... My capstone project spanning 1 year of my life is going into a clinic, asking the MDs, NPs and administrators what they want, and giving it to them. This includes finding literature, writing assignment after journal after paper about this same topic, all building on one another, that I am not really that interested in.

I mean, it's pretty clear to me if you can't come up with a way to twist the ENTRY essay so it sounds good to someone reading it, who doesn't have your viewpoint; you are by far in the wrong place and probably shouldn't be doing it. Going back to school will test your "personal authenticity" to a point where you bend or break! ?

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 15, 2019

I think your desire for personal satisfaction is no problem. Be honest about it. That's why I got a PhD -- and the faculty of that school didn't mind a bit. They respect a desire to learn and get educational credentials -- and like to see that in their students. There is nothing wrong with telling them that you don't have a specific career need for a DNP at the moment -- and that your primary motivation is an internal motivation to continue learning/growing and to attain a terminal degree in your chosen profession.

You can also discuss your awareness of increasing educational requirements for all professionals (in most fields, not just nursing) and your desire to acquire that highest level of credential while you are in a personal position to do it. You want to do it while it is feasible -- before you find yourself in a position in which you need to go back to school, but will have trouble because of other personal commitments. There is nothing wrong with that.

Then, I would recommend talking about the type of work you would like to do long-term ... possibilities for your future career -- pointing out that the additional knowledge you gain from school will be valuable as you move forward, regardless of the specific path you choose. From what you wrote in your original post, it doesn't sound like you would have to lie to say that much.

As I said above, I spent 5 years going to school full time to get my PhD -- starting with no particular, firm career goal. I ended up with a long-term job that requires only an MSN ... but I have been quite satisfied with my choice to get the higher degree. I learned a lot ... and have gotten a few good opportunities with an "enhances MSN-level" position. I have no regrets about my education at all. I was very popular with the faculty as they enjoyed working with a student was there just because I loved learning -- and NOT there to earn more money.