DNP student with regrets?

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Hey all,

I am currently in a BSN-DNP program and I am having regrets about my degree choice. I am currently working as RN in an ICU attached to my university. I am in a blessed situation to have all or nearly all of my DNP program paid for by my employer.

However, I am starting to have doubts about this degree. I am in the part-time acute care DNP track. I originally chose to go through with my DNP because I aspire to be involved in academia one day. But what I have realized is that for now I really enjoy the bedside. I enjoy taking care of sick patients and the challenge it presents.

So what is wrong with my DNP program? Many things, which I was not fully aware of entering into the program. For every clinical course I have, there are 2-3 fluff courses. Though I feel that these courses are valuable and have merit, I do not think I necessarily need them at this point. I dislike the notion of studying four more years to be a NP when I could achieve this goal much sooner with a MSN program. I think that all of these managerial/finance/political/research classes would benefit me much more when I was ready for a more administrative type position.

I have been seriously considering postponing studies at my program for a year and applying to some MSN programs with a more clinical focus. The obvious dilemma is that I may not be able to return to my program and I would not have my education paid for with a MSN as I would have to d/c work for a year to complete the program. I am really not sure how my advisor/faculty would respond to such a query.

So what do you all think? Should I pursue a MSN now (at my own expense) or continue in my DNP program (at my misery)?

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Specializes in Emergency.

I think you should research your options. If your DNP program truly is "miserable", than continuing is probably a poor choice as your unlikely to be happy during it or after. However, I'm not sure a MSN is the panacea that you are expecting.

I do not know the specifics of the schools/programs you are considering, so this might be off, but here is the comparison at my school:

- The DNP is 3 terms (quarters) or 3/4 of a year longer than the MSN, so your talking about 9mo.

- Assuming you and I consider the same courses "fluff" or whatever term people want to use that is non-offensive, than the MSN program has more than 1/2 of these courses.

- The MSN program requires 600+ hrs of clinicals (I don't have the exact number here), where the DNP program requires roughly 1000.

So, in reality not only would you be reducing your "fluff" courses and your total time in school by 9mo, but you would also be reducing your clinicals by 300+ hours. I can understand you not wanting to be in school for 4 more years, that sounds excessive, my DNP program is under three years total. If reducing your time in school is the goal, than maybe switching to a full time program would be an option. It usually requires more student loans during school, but the payoff of making a NP salary sooner can offset the cost of those additional loans.

I would suggest you research your options and identify the +/- carefully before you choose to switch programs. Postponing your studies for a year, and then starting a MSN program will likely get you to your goal (NP) at about the same time as staying in your DNP program, and your MSN will not get you as many options (you said you wanted to teach at some point) as the DNP might, so then you would need to go back and finish those "fluff" courses for about a year of study to get your DNP! End result same amount of schooling, probably very similar number of "fluff" courses, but spread out over an even longer period of time.

Of course, all of this information and advise is from someone who knows only the small amount you posted above about your situation, so new information that wasn't shared with us might change the picture dramatically!

Good luck in researching and making a decision that fits your life and goals!

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Thanks for the comment!

Going full-time in the DNP program is really not an option as I cannot afford to be without an income for 3 years (mine is also 3 years FT). I wish it were though. The MSN programs I have been looking into are Vanderbilt and U of L, both of which contain 3 non-practice classes, 1 of which I should have equivalencies completed. Postponing work for a year to complete my MSN seems much more doable.

Another caveat of my current program is the clinical hours. Yes, there are technically 1000 hours. But, only 720 are practice hours. The rest are in an administrative role. However one cannot overlook the potential networking and that these clinical would lead to. To clarify, my end goal is a DNP, but I am not sure that I need all this additional training/classes right now- I do not plan on working in an administrative capacity anytime soon.

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I should also clarify that my program is not miserable. I am confident I will be satisfied once I graduate either way. It is just that these non-clinical courses are not my primary interest at this time.

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I suggest you research the MSN NP end date in the program you might attend. Some schools aren't offering it currently. I know the date has been pushed back a couple of times, but I thought it was 2015 for enrollment. If you are happy in your job and plan to work there, I would let them pay for the DNP. With my first Master's my hospital paid the tuition. No issues. My NP Masters cost me $60,000. And yes, all Masters NP programs have those fluff classes (Policy, Research, Role Development, etc). Although beware that research is not fluff usually..time intensive. Don't over schedule yourself when you take research

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Specializes in Emergency.
I suggest you research the MSN NP end date in the program you might attend. Some schools aren't offering it currently. I know the date has been pushed back a couple of times, but I thought it was 2015 for enrollment.

What end date are you referring to? While some schools have stopped offering MSN NP degrees, many have not and have no intention to do so. Also, to my knowledge, no state has adopted a date for making DNP the entry level degree for NP education. I believe CRNAs have adopted a date of 2025 for making DNP the entry level for their profession, but I do not know of anyone who has adopted a date for NPs.

If you have other information, please share it.

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What end date are you referring to? While some schools have stopped offering MSN NP degrees, many have not and have no intention to do so. Also, to my knowledge, no state has adopted a date for making DNP the entry level degree for NP education. I believe CRNAs have adopted a date of 2025 for making DNP the entry level for their profession, but I do not know of anyone who has adopted a date for NPs.

If you have other information, please share it.

I only meant the MSN date for schools you might be interested in. From a financial standpoint. Since you are getting your education payed for now, I didn't want you to get stuck with only private colleges that can cost a lot out of pocket.

And I don't know about the change from MSN NP to DNP. It has been a moving target, but I do think it will happen some day. It won't happen at the state level though. If you change your mind and want to get the MSN, just watch the 2 certifying Boards. That is where the change will be driven, not at the state license. State licenses require that a NP be Certified to have a license. So if the Boards change to requiring a DNP, then only DNPs will be eligible to sit. It's the same as RN. You cannot sit for the exam until to finish an accredited RN program. I don't really keep up with any possible change, but I recommend you watch the ANCC and AANPCP (instead of state licensing boards) if you decide to quit the DNP and take a break.

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Specializes in Internal medicine/critical care/FP.

DNP= more money,more worthless knowledge, waste of time in many cases. Schools love it though, more money for them. Very few people will benefit from a dnp. But I bet they will all post below me just to refute me.

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If it is mostly paid for, stick with it. I'm about to start the Vandy ACNP program and i'm dreading the loan payments I will have to make.

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I only meant the MSN date for schools you might be interested in. From a financial standpoint. Since you are getting your education payed for now, I didn't want you to get stuck with only private colleges that can cost a lot out of pocket.

I would not worry about this. If you are accepted into an MSN program and progress according to your plan of study, you should have no problems graduating with an MSN with the rest of your cohort, as long as you progress appropriately in your plan of study.

However, if you opt to sit out a year you might have problems if your original class was the last MSN cohort.

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Specializes in Outpatient Psychiatry.

I think most nursing degrees come with "fluff" courses. I think advanced practice would do well with advancing the curriculum to include more scientific, practice-oriented courses, but alas that isn't the case. Rare seems to be the DNP that actually includes several more classes immediately relevant to clinical practice. Instead, the focus seems to be on theory, theory creation, sundry managerial topics, healthcare economics, and so forth. That's fine and dandy for the person that needs that, and we all need an education in it. However, I don't want a doctorate in that field so the DNP will never be fore me.

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Bigbluemadness....You are so lucky to have it paid for. I am on the same boat whether to go forth for my DNP since I recently got in to a BSN-DNP AGNP program. But I am still unsure to go for it since it will burn my pocket...100k worth. Still trying to figure out if it is worth all the sacrifice. I already still have 60k debt from BSN and then there is this....Also I am not sure if I really want to waste my time for these fluff classes also...However, since your employer is paying for it all. GO FOR IT AND GET IT OUT OF THE WAY. I wish I had that option. I am still getting tuition reinbursement for my BSN loans but even then...if I enroll to this program, I still will have the 100k debt. Not sure my life (money for wedding, family, house) is worth that debt. :(

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