Ph.d or Ed.d? Which is preferred in nursing education?

[m.olenska]

Hi guys,

So I'm thinking I want to go back to school, specifically a doctoral program of some kind. I'm currently working as a PMHNP, I graduated 1.5 years ago with my MSN and I've been working ever since. I went to college very young (maybe too young in all honesty), I did not major in nursing, but in education and after graduation worked as a teacher for a year, then decided to go into nursing and completed a Masters entry program. Which puts me at the ripe old age of 28 and looking to make another change (of sorts), in that I'd like to go back to education, namely nursing education. I know I don't have a lot of work experience as an APRN, but I really, really miss teaching. Like REALLY miss it. I love nursing and I love psych/mental health and I think it would be great if I could combine all these loves and actually TEACH nursing! I'm just not sure what's the best way to go about doing this, so I'm asking you; what sort of graduate degree should I be looking into?

I know the DNP is clinically focused, I know the Ph.d is research focused and I honestly haven't heard much about the Ed.d at all, and I'm a bit overwhelmed. I want to teach, not only clinically, not only adjunct or casual, I'd like to be a professor, an administrator, an educator. Does a Ph.d truly prepare you for the educator bit? I know it prepares you for the researcher bit, but that's not my chief area of interest. Are there even Ed.d's in nursing? And if they're aren't, is getting a doctorate in education, not in nursing, even worthwhile or accepted? I know those nurses with DNP's have sometimes gotten into issues of tenure, and whether or not a DNP can head a program or school or whatever (which I think is a little crazy, but I'm not the boss), so is the DNP straight off the table?

I've browsed these boards a bit and I can't quite seem to get a complete answer, so I thought I would send my very specific question out there and see what comes back. Thanks and thanks!