DNP & PhD

[puggily]

Currently I am enrolled in a DNP program. I just started my clinicals a few weeks ago and have discovered that I am very unhappy. Trying to work, do clinical, and classwork has me completely overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion. I travel 2-hours one way to clinical and this has become burdensome. The worst part is, that after being in clinical for a few day, I am not sure that I want to do that in the future. I have thought about switching over to the PhD, where I will have less clinical time. Currently I work and academia and was planning in the long term of staying here.

Has anyone else been in this predicament? Has anyone else found out the DNP was not form them and make a switch? I am looking for people who have been in similar circumstances. Thanks.

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

I have neither degrees but I don't see the point in pursuing a practice doctorate (DNP) when you have no interest in staying in a practice-oriented setting. Of course you can switch to a PhD if that's what you want. A Nursing PhD would involve a longer time commitment (4-6 years) and a dissertation that would take up a great deal of your time as well. Both DNP and PhD can be ideal degrees for an academic career though I see a DNP-prepared nurse as more appropriate as clinical faculty.