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Discussion

Ph.D. without the MSN?

I will be finishing up my BSN in August and will be applying to BSN-to-PhD programs throughout the country. There are a few programs that look very promising, and have been in contact with the faculty and staff. However, there are a few programs that do NOT award the MSN degree but instead just award the Ph.D. degree. And then there are others that award both.

Will having no masters affect me when I go looking for employment upon graduation? I guess I could go for my masters after my Ph.D. and do it backwards. The school I am very interested in is one of those schools where the MSN is not conferred during the Ph.D. program.

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  • Experts

No. Assuming that your PhD would be from a know, respected school ... nobody will even notice. Now, if your PhD would be from a school nobody had ever heard of, that might send up a few "red flags" for people. They would wonder whether or not it was legitimate. But if it is a well-established school with a good reputation, it is highly unlikely to ever cause you a problem.

  • Author
No. Assuming that your PhD would be from a know, respected school ... nobody will even notice. Now, if your PhD would be from a school nobody had ever heard of, that might send up a few "red flags" for people. They would wonder whether or not it was legitimate. But if it is a well-established school with a good reputation, it is highly unlikely to ever cause you a problem.

Thanks, llg! I am applying to numerous schools (UCSF, UW-Madison, Drexel, and a few other schools... all very well known schools).

Llg... since you seem to be the most responsive Ph.D. nurse here on the forums, what other avenues can a Ph.D. nurse take other than academic institution? Thanks!

  • Experts
Thanks, llg! I am applying to numerous schools (UCSF, UW-Madison, Drexel, and a few other schools... all very well known schools).

Llg... since you seem to be the most responsive Ph.D. nurse here on the forums, what other avenues can a Ph.D. nurse take other than academic institution? Thanks!

I work in a hospital -- in their Staff Development Department. I run their nursing student extern program, teach classes for leadership, serve as our liaison with all the local schools of nursing, and do a few other little odd jobs. I am hoping to get some research going, something I have done a little, but not as much as I would like. That was my original plan when my position was created 6 years ago, but that aspect of my role has not developed as well as I would like.

A lot of larger hospitals have a nurse or two with a PhD to oversee evidence-based practice, work in staff development, work in a research department, etc. Those jobs can be hard to get and are rarely advertised. Usually a person has to be a little lucky and be in the right place at the right time and know the right people to get one. After graduating with my PhD and deciding to seek hospital work, I took a job at my current hospital as a CNS/Staff Development instructor. I worked in that position for 4 years, establishing a good reputation and very positive relationship with the VP for Nursing. As she realized I could do more the hospital, she finally created my current role specifically for me. In fact, I am still technically in the same CNS/Staff Development job category and am in the same pay grade as the others in my job category with only MSN's.

I make no extra money for my PhD compared to my MSN-prepared colleagues. However, I am given a little more leeway in choosing projects that interest me (I am not expected to teach CPR classes, etc.) and am given a lot of flexibility in my scheduling. Also, the salary I get in the hospital is more than I would make in a school ... so, I don't complain.

I will be finishing up my BSN in August and will be applying to BSN-to-PhD programs throughout the country. There are a few programs that look very promising, and have been in contact with the faculty and staff. However, there are a few programs that do NOT award the MSN degree but instead just award the Ph.D. degree. And then there are others that award both.

Will having no masters affect me when I go looking for employment upon graduation? I guess I could go for my masters after my Ph.D. and do it backwards. The school I am very interested in is one of those schools where the MSN is not conferred during the Ph.D. program.

Sistermike-

I have applied to a BSN-PhD program as well. The program I am trying to get in doesn't award a MSN, either- even though the first year is spent taking Master's level capstone courses. The perk though, is that you enter the program as a PhD student, with all the benefits that go along with that (assistantships, etc.). Another perk is that you get to skip that year of advanced practice concentration courses, and can still teach at that university as an adjunct educator once you've completed so many Master's level ed credits. I haven't seen any postings on the higher learning job boards that required a MSN and PhD, so I don't foresee it being a problem to do this kind of program.

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