DNP or PhD How did you choose?

[SarahEAW]

I am interested in how people chose the DNP program instead of PhD. When I went to graduate school the DNP programs were just getting started. They seem to be the more popular program. People describe the PhD as a pure research degree, but I have a lot of DNP colleagues who are doing fabulous research projects that are certainly PhD level..

Please leave positive thoughts.

I am not interested in starting a debate about one degree being more or better etc.. type discussion.

[synaptic]

I chose to keep the money in my pocket and do neither, since you will probably never see any ROI.

You can only raise the bar so high in nursing. You know those teachers that wrote our old med surg books were struggling to get those things over 50 pages, especially when the first 1 page of each procedure all states the same exact thing before getting into the useful stuff. I mean they have a whole freaking chapter on washing hands. I think I was taught that when I was 2.

[SarahEAW]

I would agree that nursing has been struggling a bit from an identity standpoint. As I mentioned in my first post, nursing is a young science. I believe a lot of this is about that growth. The early PhD nurses had to get their degrees in other fields like psychology or education. I am thankful to those who have forged these educational pathways & believe the "dust will settle." Nursing needs DNPs & PhDs so that we can have credibility and a seat at the policy table and be stronger as a profession. The ROI for me may be more intrinsic, perhaps a longer and more varied career, and an opportunity to help the younger generation of nurses. So it is not necessarily a financial gain.

[db2xs]

Hi Sarah. Instead of the debate of whether a PhD or DNP is "worth it," I'd like to address your original post/question, which was "How did I choose?" I'm in a post-BSN to DNP program at the moment. Straight up, I chose the DNP instead of the PhD because I want to remain clinical with the option to do other things if I so choose to. "Everyone" is getting a PhD--or rather, I know so many PhDs, which is great, if you just want to stay with research. But I am remaining optimistic that eventually (eventually!) all this research that is being generated will finally be put into practice by those of us who choose/chose the DNP route. I am not getting a higher degree because I want to earn more money; I am doing it because I want to instigate change. If we used money as the only gauge of importance/worth, then no one would ever have children, because they definitely don't grow your bank account (unless they're a child actor).

I am unsure why so many people (i.e., nurses) are disregarding and shame talking the DNP. I spoke to a colleague at my hospital who is a DNP and she said once she earned her degree, the respect she gained from everyone (not just the MDs, but yes, the MDs definitely) rose astronomically from when she was a "plain ole" NP.

I know the DNP is a relatively new degree, and I know there are lots of kinks to work out throughout the journey, which is probably the source of so many complaints. But it is exciting to me to be a part of this new wave of DNP pioneers. Everyone needs to start somewhere, right?

I too agree that the field of nursing has a lot of identity issues. I think we first need to address the issue of Why do we still have the ADN? The field of physical therapy has eliminated the master's degree. Welcome to change!

[SarahEAW]

Yes, I think they are just different; and that both have a place in the future. :)