Education requirement for nurse practitioner

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm in my second year of pre-nursing and I just read an article in wikipedia that says in 2015, the requirement for nurse practitioner will change from masters to doctorate. The source is a link to a policy paper by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing so I can't tell whether this is official or not. Does anyone know? Here's the link http://www.aacn.nche.edu/DNP/pdf/DNP.pdf

If you're going to go to school for 8 years, wouldn't it make more sense to become a physician since you're basically putting in the same amount of education time?

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

From what I have heard this is true and why I'm killing myself to get it done before. :D To me nursing is very different from being a physician so it really isn't a good comparison. Also in the six years I've been working as a nurse I will have made over $300,000 and I'm not sure that would be possible while in med school. Good luck with whatever you decide.

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I've heard it too but I'd like to see some proof that it's true. It's not about the money for me.

From what I have heard this is true and why I'm killing myself to get it done before.
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Specializes in ER/ trauma.

This is accurate. Other professions such as pharmacy, physical therapy have done this too. My university recently phased out the MS program and all new applications from this fall and on will have to go through the DNP program. I plan on finishing my DNP as well, it is an additional 20 credits on top of my 42 credits of my MS degree. I just think that it gives nursing more of a highly professional image. I also agree that mid-level providers should be doctorally prepared. But, many will disagree with me.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
I've heard it too but I'd like to see some proof that it's true. It's not about the money for me.

Well as I also pointed out Nursing is very different from being a Physician so imo its apples and oranges. Since money isn't a consideration for you by all means enter which ever discipline you prefer. :rolleyes:

Proof? http://www.aanp.org/AANPCMS2

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Specializes in ICU.

Getting a doctorate to assist a physician? That's just precious.:chuckle

Needless to say, I'm not a big advocate of NPs or CRNAs. I feel they use nursing only to crossover into medicine. And while they still believe they are nurses, and while the nursing profession holds them up as shining examples of how "we are just as good as doctors!" I have yet to see any NP or CRNA doing nursing duties.

I believe as nurses get older and lose the energy or health required to do nursing (i.e., caring for patients at the bedside), they should prepare to move into nurse management, education, whatever. But we should never forget that nursing is the profession of taking care of people who can't care for themselves. Period. It's not rounding for a physician. It's not the diagnosis and treatment of illness, and it's not playing second fiddle to an anesthesiologist in the OR.

I know I'll catch some heat for this opinion, and I know that the vast majority of the nursing profession does not hold my opinion, but I'm a radical about the profession of nursing. It is the greatest possible profession, and it forges the greatest possible people on earth. Escaping it and then calling it "advanced practice" in my opinion is abominable. Healthcare must always have two entities, and never forget this: it must have the equivalent of an MD and an RN. Everyone else is an assistant to one or the other.

So, doctorate to be an assistant to a doctor. Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Why not?:yeah:

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There are multiple other threads here about this issue that you could review if you're interested in people's opinions. At this point, this is a proposal put forth by several academic organizations within nursing, and is not official. The larger nursing community, including the larger advanced practice nursing community, doesn't seem to be in a big hurry to jump on the bandwagon.

Keep in mind that this is the same community that has been debating making the BSN the minimum entry into practice for over 30 years, and we're no closer to that happening than we were 30 years ago ...

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I followed your link and there's no proof that the new policy is in effect

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There are multiple other threads here about this issue that you could review if you're interested in people's opinions. At this point, this is a proposal put forth by several academic organizations within nursing, and is not official. The larger nursing community, including the larger advanced practice nursing community, doesn't seem to be in a big hurry to jump on the bandwagon.

Keep in mind that this is the same community that has been debating making the BSN the minimum entry into practice for over 30 years, and we're no closer to that happening than we were 30 years ago ...

Well the question about whether the BSN should be the point of entry into the profession is a different issue. Four year universities don't have the resources to train everyone who comes into the nursing profession. If nursing was restricted to people can gain entrance to 4 year school programs there would be an even bigger nursing shortage so this is not practical. There won't be any critical shortages if NP's have to spend another year or two getting a doctoral degree.

At least half of the nursing schools I've looked at are offering the degree (DNP) now - so it's not a stretch to assume that this will be universal in 6 years. This is simply inline with other professions such as PT that saw a need to have a terminal degree at the doctoral level. Nine years ago if you were looking to go to PT school you were probably considering a MPT program - now the DPT is the standard - there are no more MPT programs.

A doctoral level degree is never a bad thing to have and opens the door to many opportunities so I'm not sure that I get the resistance to the idea. There's no reason why the nursing profession should not have a doctoral level practice degree anyway.

OP should go to the NP board in the advanced practice section for a lot more information.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
There's no reason why the nursing profession should not have a doctoral level practice degree anyway.

No reason not to...

And no need to...

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Well the question about whether the BSN should be the point of entry into the profession is a different issue. Four year universities don't have the resources to train everyone who comes into the nursing profession. If nursing was restricted to people can gain entrance to 4 year school programs there would be an even bigger nursing shortage so this is not practical. There won't be any critical shortages if NP's have to spend another year or two getting a doctoral degree.

At least half of the nursing schools I've looked at are offering the degree (DNP) now - so it's not a stretch to assume that this will be universal in 6 years. This is simply inline with other professions such as PT that saw a need to have a terminal degree at the doctoral level. Nine years ago if you were looking to go to PT school you were probably considering a MPT program - now the DPT is the standard - there are no more MPT programs.

A doctoral level degree is never a bad thing to have and opens the door to many opportunities so I'm not sure that I get the resistance to the idea. There's no reason why the nursing profession should not have a doctoral level practice degree anyway.

OP should go to the NP board in the advanced practice section for a lot more information.

And plenty of universities offer BSN programs, and there are plenty of good arguments to be made regarding why BSN preparation is "better" than diploma or ADN preparation for nursing -- however, there is no state that requires the BSN for licensure as an RN.

I was just making the point that there is a big difference between schools choosing to offer DNP degrees and academic organizations advocating for that as the "best" preparation for advanced practice nurse and states or certifying organizations requiring it for entry into advanced practice. There is a lot of ground to be covered before that comes close to being a reality.

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Specializes in M/S, US Army, Hospital Registry.

interesting thread. The comparison of PharmD to DNP is probably the closest to correct, in my opinion. Bear in mind that the DNP is not the same as a PhD, usually based in education, administration or research so I can hardly see one being referred to as "Doctor." I would think that they would still be referred to as "the Nurse Practitioner," because the DNP is the doctorate for 'practice.' So many CRNA, CFNP, CNM, etc do their masters degree, and then post certify till they are blue in the face, so they can practice. This is the consolidation degree, so that you can be prepared to do the work without all the random disorganized certifications for whatever certificate granting body that oversees your specialty.

As far as the comment about retiring off to advance practice...wow. I'll just have to take a pass on that one. In all the years that I have worked here in the trenches, I have learned that it's all nursing, and its all gotta be done. So if your a clinic nurse that takes B/P and gives vaccines, or a school nurse that keeps my kid safe your just as important as that critical care RN baggin the neonate for 2 hours straight in a crisis. If your burnt, then your burnt, but please don't ever think that one would pursue a DNP to 'get away from the bedside.' I would love nothing more than to be a hospitalist DNP, and I'm 46.

Sign me,

not afraid of bedside care and will work till I die

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