i am graduating from the university of iowa next year with a non-nursing major. i have planned to apply to an entry-level msn program, but by the time i graduate from that (2015) it will be required to have a dnp to be an np (which is what i am ultimately going for). i was wondering if anyone had any advice as to whether i should still just finish out this particular program and then apply for a post-masters dnp program after, or just begin an lpn or rn program now and later apply to an rn-dnp program instead?? my other option is to start an accellerated bsn program now and then apply for a bsn-dnp program after. i feel like starting the rn or bsn now would be like taking a step back for me, i am in my 3rd year.
i was also curious about whether non-nursing major entry-level dnp programs exist, just like the entry-level msn ones. that would be a great option for my case! i cannot find any just by searching the web, but i figured there would be many of these types of programs emerging due to the change in minimum degree requirements for nurse practitioners, etc.
i am just unsure of the path that is best to take in my situation. i would really like to get my dnp as inexpensively as i can, which means not 10 years from now!! i am currently taking nursing pre-req's here at iowa along with my major courses, and i was pre-medicine my first two years in college so i am well prepared for any nursing program, just not sure which one is best!
