Post-graduate certificate vs DNP

lbarn06 · May 21

Hello all! Apologies if a similar thread is out there- so much great info on this site to sift through! My question is this: do I pursue a post-grad certificate to be a nurse practitioner, or go for the DNP with NP concentration?

Some background: I have a master's in nursing education. My employer will only fund DNP programs with an admin or education focus. My main goal is to enhance my clinical skills and work though and ultimately work with patients, so I don't know that going for a DNP in education, for example, then getting the post-grad cert would be worth it (that would be closer to 5 years of education vs 3 if I go for the DNP with NP concentration). That being said, is the DNP more beneficial/preferred/recognized over the cert? Since I'll be paying out of pocket, the cert is certainly more appealing at about 20k vs 45k. But if the DNP is worth it in the long run, I'd rather go for it and be done; I don't really intend on going back to school after this. I applied to both programs and have been accepted to both. Just need some help to decide which path to take! Any advice/insight would be much appreciated!