hello guys im about to finish my rn program in may, and im looking in to being a NP, i just dont understand how before you had to do a MSN to practice and now it is a DNP, i have many doubts
1. does a DNP have higher pay than a NP with a MSN
2. does it have different duties or roles
3. is it the same amount of time in school or is it a longer program
i was also reading that many NP didnt like this new DNP or where complaning about iti would like to know why its so bad or what new differences it has?
The reason you have to have a DNP now instead of the Masters degree is because the Nurse Practitioner programs were awarding the wrong degree. Nurse Practitioner programs were requiring Doctorate work but only awarding a Masters degree. So the Nurse Practitioner programs had to start awarding the accurate degree for the work being done. That is why the Nurse Practitioner Programs are now DNP ad no longer a Masters.
Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.
On 1/11/2015 at 11:58 PM, Mvillam said:
hello guys im about to finish my RN program in may, and im looking in to being a NP, I just don't understand how before you had to do a MSN to practice and now it is a DNP, I have many doubts
1. does a DNP have higher pay than a NP with a MSN
2. does it have different duties or roles
3. is it the same amount of time in school or is it a longer program
I was also reading that many NP didn't like this new DNP or where complaning about iti would like to know why its so bad or what new differences it has?
1. This will depend on your employer. My employer offers a fairly generous differential for obtaining a relevant doctorate (DNP or PhD), not all do.
2. Once again this will depend on where you are working. For my employer having a doctorate degree is a requirement to move into higher level supervisory/leadership positions. That being said, if you want to stay in a patient-directed role, there is NO different in duties for an NP with a MSN vs an NP with a DNP.
3. DNP often adds an additional 9-12 months of schooling. This is variable though based on part-time vs full-time program and what additional credits or certifications a students brings with them, and if their program accepts some/any of these for credit towards degree.
Many of the complaints about DNP come from the fact it is a relatively ill-defined degree, for many does not result in a pay raise, and is seen as prolonging the amount of time students spend in-school and lining university pockets with additional tuition money. Different programs/schools DNPs may offer slightly different focuses (e.g. leadership vs education/teaching vs systems improvement) and students seem to feel more benefit from the degree when they have a clear objective for why there are getting it and go through a program which aligns with their professional goals for the degree.
Rasna
1 Post
The reason you have to have a DNP now instead of the Masters degree is because the Nurse Practitioner programs were awarding the wrong degree. Nurse Practitioner programs were requiring Doctorate work but only awarding a Masters degree. So the Nurse Practitioner programs had to start awarding the accurate degree for the work being done. That is why the Nurse Practitioner Programs are now DNP ad no longer a Masters.