In a PhD program and I hate it. What now?

[cvnurse29]

I'm currently in my first year in a nursing PhD program. Before that I was an ICU nurse (cv, micu, & sicu) for 6 years. Since I've been here, I've realized that my interests are more in line with a basic science research. I'm just not getting enough intellectual stimulation with this and I'm not interested in studying the patient experience; I want to study the disease process. My advisor and some collaborators in the medical school labs will be able to train me in the types of technologies I want to use. My concern is that I will reside in an unfundable gray area where I'm not exactly doing nursing research that NINR would fund, but I'm not quite qualified to compete for grants outside of NINR. So here are the options:

1) return to my original plan of CRNA

(my school has a program, and I would probably finish the PhD classes while I'm waiting to get in/start CRNA since I'm already here and I'm on a grant)- I abandoned this plan in favor of research mostly due to a disdain for hospital politics- I have CCRN.

This still doesn't allow me to do the type of research I want, but at least I get more intellectual stimulation and I would have a strong application for it at this point.

2) apply for the basic science PhD program at my school (this requires a few prerequisites, will take longer, and I may not be as strong of an applicant. I do already know some of the profs over there, and I'll be learning in their labs, so that might help. It is also cheaper in that the school provides tuition and a stipend.)

I don't mean to discredit the focus on the patient experience. It's just not how I want to spend my life. Which option sounds best?

[llg, PhD, RN]

As I am just a stranger on the internet who doesn't know you ... your life circumstances ... your finances ... etc., I am not in a position to give you much advice. I am sure the people at your school can better advise you on the different programs they have available so that you can identify which (if any) will meet your needs.

Maybe it would best if you "paused" for a semester to do some serious thinking and get some professional career counseling so that you can answer the question "What do I want to be in 5 years?" before you invest much more in an educational path / career path that you are not sure you want.

Good luck to you, whatever you decide.

[compassionresearcher]

I think there are PhD programs that focus on more of what you're talking about. Maybe you can find a better fit and transfer? I'm sure you know this, but look at the schools' websites for research focus areas and see if any appeal to you.