NP/DNP situation

[jh07418]

I'm a senior nursing student at Salisbury University and recently I have been giving more thought to the nurse practitioner route. I can not find the answers I want anywhere so I am still curious: I will graduate in 2012. I would like to work/explore as an RN to make sure psychiatry is the direction for me, but when it comes time to enter an NP program if I do end up doing this. I am conscious that in 2015 there is a movement toward a dropping of 2 year programs and initiating a "DNP only" route to being a nurse practitioner. Regardless, I would preferr to get my masters as an NP and then go on later to finish a DNP, but what am I supposed to do. Do I sacrifice less experience for entering a 2year program so i can graduate with an 2 year NP, or do I get more experience but run teh risk of only being subject to the option of a 4 year DNP program. What other options do I have. Thank you for any help.

-J

[myelin]

I wouldn't worry just yet. The DNP has not been adopted as the entry of practice by any state nursing boards. While it is true that some MSN programs have switched to DNP only, there are still a lot of MSN programs out there. I will be graduating with my MSN in 2015 and I don't think there will be any problems.

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

There is plenty of information out there about this.

So far, there is no mandate about NP's having to be DNP-prepared.

To see what the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) has to say about it...

N P Preparation

And the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)...

American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Search Results

I hope these links work for you. They are both meta-links- I went to each of the sites and plugged DNP into the search engines. You might want to start with the position papers/white papers.

And it looks like psych NP's will be in demand and greatly needed. Best of luck to you.

[jh07418]

I am new to this site and thank you. These are the exact things I need. As a student, I interact with mainly students and teachers. Its good to be able to speak with others not so closly tied to undergraduate education. Thank you.

[mtsteelhorse]

Luckily I have years of nursing experience. However, I have noted that many on-line programs are changing to DNP. For those who cannot attend a brick and mortar school this can be problematic. While I think the DNP mandate is off in the future, schools are changing to meet the trend. I'm trying to jump on board for the MSN before it's too late for me. You'll be able to find a school but they are diminishing. I was all set on Univ of Cincinnati. Before I could get my ducks in a row they halted the psych MSN program. Good luck to you and don't wait too long!