PhD timing/focus

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 15, 2014

You don't need to have your research focused down to the point of having a specific research question ... but you should have a general area of interest identified so that you can choose a program where there are faculty are involved in that field. You will need faculty members who are sufficiently knowledgeable about your field to advise you on your research, evaluate your work, and teach you a few things. You wouldn't want to be half-way through your program and "discover" a passion for a field only to find that no one at your school knows enough about it to help you.

The topic you pick for your research is one that you will have to "live with" for a few years. In the process of doing your research, you should become a true expert in it. So while it is possible to wait until you are in school and just pick a topic that will fit with the faculty's interest ... do you really want to invest that much time and effort into a field that you don't care about and won't want to work with later? Identifying a general field that you will want to work in later allows you to use your PhD work to develop an expertise (and academic reputation) that will serve as a foundation for a successful career later. It's worth taking a little time to choose a general career path before making the big PhD commitment -- and choosing a school that will have the resources you need to do a good job.

But you don't have to be too specific. In fact, I recommend not being extremely specific at the start -- but rather, let your early coursework help you focus your general interest down to a specific research question based on the needs of the discipline and the resources you have available. For example ... a general field could be a certain diagnosis such as "diabetes care" ... or a patient population such as "menopausal women" ... or a nursing function such as "patient education" ... etc. Within each general realm, there are many different specific areas you could focus on.

I had the misfortune of doing a dissertation that was politically unpopular -- especially with one of the members of my committee. It didn't hamper my graduation, but I did end up graduating without her support to help me find a job within my focus area. I landed on my feet and have done OK ... but the lack of a link between the 3 years of work on my dissertation and my career path after graduation did hurt my career progression. In the end, things worked out OK for me ... but I deeply regret that I did not do my dissertation in the realm of nursing that has been the focus of my work since graduation. In other words, I wish my dissertation work related better to the career I actually have -- and recommend that you develop a sense of the career you want to have long-term and then choose a research focus that will help you with that career path.

llg, PhD, RN-BC

Penguins10, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 16, 2014

Hi llg,

Thanks for your thoughtful response, that gives me plenty to think through.

Is fundability something to consider when weighing areas of interest at this stage or should I just assume that if I can find faculty doing work related to my area of interest that represents adequate funding sources?

Thank you!

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 16, 2014

At this stage, no. But I would consider it as you choose a school. Some schools have more funding available for their students than others -- and/or more help available to the students to get funding from other sources.

lecavalier4 · Oct 20, 2014

I have a question about a dissertation topic. I also want to pursue a doctorate and want to go PhD rather than DNP. Can your topic be something like "forensic nursing" or does it have to relate directly to patient care?