PhD. in Nurse Prac.

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let me start by saying i will receive my bsn in 2 weeks (exciting stuff!) and am going to join a cardiac icu at a large level i trauma center. i am going to take a while off, but have really been taken with what i have seen in many dnp programs (which is offered at the university my hospital is affiliated with). i wish to work in an er or have a clinic in which i would see patients (an urgent care or a dr's office, or even the new "wal-mart clinics" i'm hearing about.). i was just questioning what all in encompassed in the dnp program? what is there more in dnp than msn (fnp) (pay, skills, and so on...)? which way is the field heading? from what i have gathered from reading and just talking to others, i feel as though dnp will become to family practice what crna has become to anesthesia. i think with the amount of md's wishing to specialize, family practice is an area that nurses are soon to be over in a much higher capacity. thank you for taking the time to read this post. i look forward to hearing from all of you.

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The answers to most of your questions are not clear yet; the whole "DNP thing" is still v. new. The rest of the nursing world does not seem to be embracing the mandatory-DNP proposal the way some pockets of nursing academia have ...

(Also, just for the sake of clarity, the DNP is not a PhD (as you say in your title) -- it is a clinical doctorate, and the standards/requirements are v. different).

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Oh ok, so DNP is what I would want as far as if I wished to work at a clinic or Urgent care?

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
Oh ok, so DNP is what I would want as far as if I wished to work at a clinic or Urgent care?

Yep. ... though a Master's Degree with a FNP track is currently sufficient. At the moment, Nurse Practitioner certification requires a Master's Degree. However, there is a strong movement in academia to turn those programs into DNP programs.

The PhD is the degree for academic work (as opposed to clinical work). The PhD is the degree you would pursue if you are interested in an academic career -- teaching at a university, doing research, etc.

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Yes, I did some research and the school associated with my hospital has an MSN program, then the DNP program is online through a school in Kansas City. Seems this will all work out. Yes, my instructors have all told me to go on and get my DNP. I did not know that it wasn't just Nurse Pract. that could recieve them (CRNA's, CNS, Midwives) could also recieve them too. I do think DNP will be manditory by the time I reach my MSN. I think I would want to obtain it either way.

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Yes, the new proposal is to make the DNP the minimum preparation for all the advanced practice roles.

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Specializes in None.

What is the purpose of the push for DNP???? sorry in advance if this question was already answered!!

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What is the purpose of the push for DNP???? sorry in advance if this question was already answered!!

There are several existing threads that discuss your question at length -- I suggest you use the "search" button in the upper right corner of the page to search for "DNP" and you'll be able to find them.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Here's a thread in the NP forum regarding the DNP:

Doctoral degree to become an NP???

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