Paging Doctor Nurse

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I, myself have no intent on ever getting a DNP. All personal reasons aside, the rational behind my decision is due to the lack of benefit of spending a large sum of money on this degree. This does not include the large amount of time invested and other opportunity cost involved.

I am asking people who do think this degree is worth it to explain the rational for pursuing this degree, with explanation to why they want to acquire it, if it will be monetarily worth it for them, etc.

There have been many topics on this in the past, but it seems to not clearly depict the rational of going for a doctoral degree in an objective manner.

my guess of possible reasons would be one of the following

Teaching

So they can have a terminal degree

Leadership at a large hospital

Further one's education

Research (even though PhD is more research-y.

Maybe this will give people a second light before they decide to throw an extra 20-100k at a questionable (in my opinion) degree, and possibly save some people some financial troubles in the future.

Have fun folks and lets discuss this like a horse thats been ran over 15 times and homogenized so thoroughly you could separate the oxygenated RBC from the deoxygenated RBC in a centrifuge going at 1000rpm.

Boom

This is a moot point. Essentially 90% of those in this forum agree, the other few vocal minority offer no valid arguments. The core argument I'm seeing out of the minority is that nurses are "just" nurses and they're never going to being "Doctors" and they need to be just content with being nurse smart but never attempt to climb to the God status of "doctor smart".

Of course, this is a ridiculous and small minded perspective and I have to imagine anyone making that argument is not even a BSN prepared RN and quite possibly has no university education period.

Bedside nursing will always exist and it will be entry level BSN RN's who fill that role. Those who wish to go into entry level management and entry level education will obtain their MSN. Those who wish to be CRNP's, CRNA's, CNO's and higher level education will all get Doctorates.

If you think anyone in this forum will change the Earth's rotation or this change that has already begun, you are mistaken.

If you think you can tell anyone who has obtained a recognized and certified doctorate in the medical field that they are banned from using their earned title, you are mistaken.

It will be on their badges, it will be on their business cards, it will be on their wall in their study, it will be on their education history but most of all, that doctorate will be within themselves.

Just because RN's have historically worked with a profession we call "Doctor" does not mean a nurse will never be allowed to mention their earned degree like the other health professions. You can argue all day that nobody but medical doctors use that title but that argument has already been shot to pieces in this thread.

The last thing I'll say about this before hopefully the moderators shut down this unending thread is your attempts to stop the progress and growth of the nursing/medical field is like a child attempting to hold a ball of sand. It's already slipping between your fingers.

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This is a moot point. Essentially 90% of those in this forum agree, the other few vocal minority offer no valid arguments. The core argument I'm seeing out of the minority is that nurses are "just" nurses and they're never going to being "Doctors" and they need to be just content with being nurse smart but never attempt to climb to the God status of "doctor smart".

Of course, this is a ridiculous and small minded perspective and I have to imagine anyone making that argument is not even a BSN prepared RN and quite possibly has no university education period.

Bedside nursing will always exist and it will be entry level BSN RN's who fill that role. Those who wish to go into entry level management and entry level education will obtain their MSN. Those who wish to be CRNP's, CRNA's, CNO's and higher level education will all get Doctorates.

If you think anyone in this forum will change the Earth's rotation or this change that has already begun, you are mistaken.

If you think you can tell anyone who has obtained a recognized and certified doctorate in the medical field that they are banned from using their earned title, you are mistaken.

It will be on their badges, it will be on their business cards, it will be on their wall in their study, it will be on their education history but most of all, that doctorate will be within themselves.

Just because RN's have historically worked with a profession we call "Doctor" does not mean a nurse will never be allowed to mention their earned degree like the other health professions. You can argue all day that nobody but medical doctors use that title but that argument has already been shot to pieces in this thread.

The last thing I'll say about this before hopefully the moderators shut down this unending thread is your attempts to stop the progress and growth of the nursing/medical field is like a child attempting to hold a ball of sand. It's already slipping between your fingers.

It's clear from your previous posts that you want to be a physician impersonator without putting the work for it... I hope you don't live in one the states that ban DNP nurse practitioners from introducing themselves as doctors (i.e physicians) in healthcare settings... because you will put your license in jeopardy...

I am just tired of clarifying to patients that these people are not real doctors (i.e. physicians).

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It's clear from your previous posts that you want to be a physician impersonator without putting the work for it... I hope you don't live in one the states that ban DNP nurse practitioners from introducing themselves as doctors (i.e physicians) in healthcare settings... because you will put your license in jeopardy...

I am just tired of clarifying to patients that these people are not real doctors (i.e. physicians).

I am almost finished with my DNP and will have no problem using the title "doctor" in an appropriate setting. However, I have a hard enough time already explaining to my patients and families that I am a nurse practitioner and not a physician. No matter that I universally introduce myself as a nurse practitioner and correct any misconception, many still confuse me as their doctor. I can only imagine how challenging it would be if I used the title "doctor" in a clinical setting.

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idc if people call themselves doctor or not, usually the ones who insist on it are bigheaded enough though. People will do anything to make themselves feel better than others. Nursing isn't a complex enough field to require a doctorate though. Usually the fields that are not very complex attempt to derive their perceived complexity from providing complex theory based classes which benefit nobody. Nursing theory seems to attempt to be a sad mix between psychology and medicine. But hey if they want to be called doctor so be it. Id rather spend my time and money on other things like business. BC my business I own on the side probably makes more in one year than the difference in pay between an fnp and DNP makes in a lifetime, and my business doesn't make a ton. Lol.

People need to read the book worthless- its about the awfulness of most college degree programs.

I had to read a nursing theory book for my graduate school. It was pretty much a copy paste version of a general research book with the word nurse and Roy tossed into it at random intervals.

Like I said before, soon we will be seeing doctorates of janitorial science and clerkology.

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It's clear from your previous posts that you want to be a physician impersonator without putting the work for it... I hope you don't live in one the states that ban DNP nurse practitioners from introducing themselves as doctors (i.e physicians) in healthcare settings... because you will put your license in jeopardy...

I am just tired of clarifying to patients that these people are not real doctors (i.e. physicians).

Then by your definition, those with PhDs shouldn't be called "Doctor" either. They're not "real" doctors, right?

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Specializes in ED.

Actually physicians usurped the title from PhDs, and as I mentioned earlier most physicians I have known couldn't stand up to the academic rigor of doctoral programs. In some places surgeons are still referred to as Mister as an anachronism.

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Actually physicians usurped the title from PhDs, and as I mentioned earlier most physicians I have known couldn't stand up to the academic rigor of doctoral programs. In some places surgeons are still referred to as Mister as an anachronism.

When I look up the word "doctor" in the Merriam Webster dictionary, a medical doctor is the second definition. The first definition is:

  • 1a : an eminent theologian declared a sound expounder of doctrine by the Roman Catholic Church —called also doctor of the churchb : a learned or authoritative teacherc : a person who has earned one of the highest academic degrees (as a PhD) conferred by a universityd : a person awarded an honorary doctorate (as an LLD or Litt D) by a college or university

The second definition is:

  • 2a : a person skilled or specializing in healing arts; especially : one (as a physician, dentist, or veterinarian) who holds an advanced degree and is licensed to practiceb : medicine man

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Specializes in Outpatient Psychiatry.
Then by your definition, those with PhDs shouldn't be called "Doctor" either. They're not "real" doctors, right?

PhDs are the ORIGINAL and TRUE doctors.

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Specializes in Outpatient Psychiatry.
Actually physicians usurped the title from PhDs, and as I mentioned earlier most physicians I have known couldn't stand up to the academic rigor of doctoral programs. In some places surgeons are still referred to as Mister as an anachronism.

In much of the world physicians and surgeons are still trained in bachelor programs. There's really nothing wrong with that either. I do find it ABSURD when a FMG comes to the U.S., passes a test, and is suddenly "doctor" when there was never an earned doctorate.

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PhDs are the ORIGINAL and TRUE doctors.

Yes, I know. I was being sarcastic, which it seems wasn't shining through via the Internet :-)

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