New PhD Student

[dianacs]

Technically, I am not "new"--I took a couple of statistics classes last year. However, this semester I am a full-time student in the program. I am so excited about it and so grateful for this opportunity! There are lots of unknowns..."what if"..."how am I going to do___"....etc. And so much work ahead of me! I also have a family, so I worry about that too. But I've been in school so much these past few years, it's nothing new to them. It's just that this is a whole other level. Anyone else out there? What are your experiences?

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

Yay! I have a cohort here!!! I am so relieved. :chuckle

I know exactly what you're talking about with the "what ifs," and the "how am I going to..." thing- both personally and academically. There are 2 mentors here that have been very helpful for me: llg & marachne. They have been patiently paving the way for us newbies, and if you do a search of their posts under their profiles, you'll find a wealth of information.

I'm in the same place as you- excited & scared at the same time. I think part of that is that although the program's expectations of me are clear, I have a whole new level of freedom in how I get to the point of meeting those expectations.

I would love to correspond with you some time. We can vent to each other...LOL

[llg, PhD, RN]

Hi, DianaCS. I loved my PhD program and hope you find yours to be as great. I'll watch for your future posts and try to pick up on those threads when I can.

Have fun!

llg

[greenterra]

Hi Guys! Congratulations on entering PhD programs!

I am hoping you won't mind answering a question: do you know if a PhD can help a clinical nurse's career goals? Or is a PhD solely for nurse educators and researchers?

Of course, I know about DNP programs-- but I'm not sure I want to become a nurse practitioner... I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up :wink2:.

I do have a previous masters degree from before I got a BSN, so I'm tempted to go straight into a BSN to PhD program.

Thanks for any replies!

[llg, PhD, RN]

I've had my PhD for about 10 years and work in a hospital. More and more opportunities are opening up for doctorally prepared nurses in clinicals settings as the larger hospitals want to be engaged in research and evidence-based practice. They need expertise in those areas to do them well ... and they want to do them well to get Magnet status.

You probably won't make much more money than a CNS (maybe a little more), but if you are doing it for the money, you're in the wrong line of work.

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

You know, I read a really good article on the ANA website not too long ago, about the need for more PhD nurses in our hospitals. I'll see if I can't dig it up for you. Are you thinking of remaining at the bedside, or moving to another clinical practice area within the hospital?

Most PhD nurses I've known within the hospital system are researchers, quality directors, educators, infection control nurses, and other various director positions. Where does your interest lie?

ETA: llg beat me to it...LOL

[greenterra]

Thanks for the replies!

At least some of the time I'd like to remain by the bedside. Infection control interests me, too... I need to try to collect my thoughts and determine long term goals.

The one thing I know is that I miss learning, and thinking about new things (though I don't miss exams and papers!), so I think I'm headed to graduate school in another year.

[marachne]

Hi dianacs and welcome! As BBFRN pointed out, besides her there's myself who are currently in PhD programs, although I'm at the other end of the journey -- finished with coursework, planning on defending my proposal and starting my research next month.

So far, I've loved it...and it has been nothing like anything I've experienced before, in terms of the level of thinking and writing and crafting of thoughts and words in my life.

Greenterra, you won't have a ton of exams at the PhD level, but LOTS and LOTS of writing so be prepared to that if you move forward....and the exams are few but especially the big benchmark ones (prelims if you have them, comprehensive exams, oral examinations, etc) are doozies in terms of being able to synthesize knowledge and support your arguments.

I do know of one person who went through my program who has basically stayed at her job as head of QA/QI in the VA -- but she applied for a different (but related) position as her at another VA who offered her a lot more money -- she used that as leverage for improving her situation in her current position.

I'd say there are more PhDs in clinical settings, but they're going to be in management and research positions in general...

[UVA Grad Nursing]

Greenterra:

DNP programs are not about being a NP; they are about being a practitioner (small "p") who can integrate evidence into practice at a higher degree than a MSN-grad can typically do. I encourage people to think of as "translational research" --- being the important intermediary between theoretical and metatheoretical models to the bedside.

In the future I forsee teams composed of DNP and PhD prepared nurses who will approach improving care and changing practice from different perspectives (one using EBP and the other using methodologically-sound research studies).

Now that there are DNP and PHD programs, I hope that each individual can find the right program for his/her aspirations and inner core (the right peg in the right hole). Nursing needs both types of doctorally-prepared individuals.