PhD in nursing sciences

KatieBell · May 24, 2005

I think I can help you as I'm smack in the middle of application process for DNSc program.

There are now two types of Doctorates offerred:

The DNSc is a research intensive program to prepare nurse scholars to conduct research in outcomes... etc So essentially with a DNSc youare prepared to do a lot of research studies, which is why most are associated with Universities. Since you are prepared to program in SAS and do that sort of research you really aren't going to work clinically, though I am sure people have.

Now, there is a NEW Doctor of Nursing Practice. It's offerred at COlumbia, and is set to be offered at Univ. Of Washington. It sounds like more what you would want. It prepares nurses with the knowledge skills etc etc to practice independently in a clinical setting. Alot of these nurses will probably work at instructors as well, but you could go into an independent nursing practice.

However, you will have to note if you salary would increase any with a DNP rather than just your NP... A PhD is REALLY different from nurisng school or a Master's program. Even though it is much easier these days to get a PhD, it is still a major committment- especially compared to nursing school or a NP program.

Hope this helps.

llg, PhD, RN · May 24, 2005

I have a PhD in nursing and work for a hospital, not a university. Some of the things I do are:

1. Liaison with the local schools of nursing, coordinating the student activity in the building, problem-solving, etc.

2. Keep track of our recruitment & retention statistics, identify any trends, and compare them to regional and national trends

3. Monitor the use of our nursing resources

4. Create (and run) new programs aimed at helping us cope with the nursing shortage (e.g. a nursing student extern program, a new-grad mentor program, and a nursing scholarship program)

5. Teach selected courses within the nursing staff development department

6. Serve as a consultant to other nurses in the application of research to clinical practice and/or the conduct or dissemination of our own research

I know of 2 large hospitals now looking for doctorally prepared nurses to head their nursing research departments -- focusing on both the conduct of research within the hospital and the application of research findings in clinical practice.

There aren't many jobs out there "designed" for doctorlly prepared nurses because there hasn't been a supply of qualified people out there. Hospitals aren't used to having that possibility. But if you can be a little flexible, you can usually find one and/or create a position for yourself. I first came to my current employer as a doctorally-prepared neonatal CNS. I had hoped to parlay it into a position conducting/applying research similar to the ones I mentioned above. But after a few years, my current position was created so that I could focus on helping the hospital cope with the nursing shortage. It's not exactly what I originally had in mind -- but it is a good job that gives me a chance to do a lot of work in support of the nursing department. I am well-paid and have extremely great working conditions.

llg