Phd in Nursing-doing research or something other than teaching?

Nursing Students Post Graduate

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I am currently working as a full time nurse but I want to get my Phd. I do not want to teach or do education though. I want to do research or clinical trials.

Are there any students that are getting their Phd now or nurses that have their Phd and are doing research or anything other than teaching with it?

What can you do with a Phd in nursing?

Was getting your Phd worth it (money wise, loans, hard work put into it) ?

What is your work day typical like (work flow, work weekends?) ?

What kind of institutions can you work for?

How is the job market?

Did you do an online program?

Did you work full time while in school? and how long did it take you to complete your Phd?

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this and answer!!

If you were or know of anyone who is in an online phd in nursing program which program is that?

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If you were or know of anyone who is in an online phd in nursing program which program is that?

I do not know of anyone who is in an online phd program but I googled and saw some schools that offer BSN to PHD online but you still have to go to the school once a year for a week or something!

Are you considering getting a Phd?

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I have a PhD in nursing and work for a hospital. I do staff development, do a little of my own research, and help others with research and evidence-based practice projects. I also help to maintain and interpret the data we collect on nursing care quality.

My official job is "located" within a job category that includes roles for people with only MSN's. My compensation is the same as those people with MSN's. I'm OK with that given the nature of our roles.

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I have a PhD in nursing and work for a hospital. I do staff development, do a little of my own research, and help others with research and evidence-based practice projects. I also help to maintain and interpret the data we collect on nursing care quality.

My official job is "located" within a job category that includes roles for people with only MSN's. My compensation is the same as those people with MSN's. I'm OK with that given the nature of our roles.

I would love to do staff development!! Did you go for your masters first or straight from BSN to Phd? What school did you do your phd in? and if you did get your masters first was it MSN Nurse Educator? Did you have to have teaching experience to become a staff developer or was that your first job after graduate school?

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This is an excellent reply for the questions asked. I understand this reply is over 3 years old and you must be done with your PhD and quite sure landed your dream job and university teaching hospital or something. I am wondering how your journey has been since your reply. I am a PMHNP student graduating in May 2018 and am working on my search for a great PhD program that will prepare me become a nurse researcher in psychiatric nursing. I am wondering what program you completed and if you have any recommendations on universities that are big on mental health research. I understand there is a good mental health faculty at Vanderbilt and Johns Hopkins has a post doc fellowship for child and adolescent mental health research. I have only started my search and hence I am sure there are more out there. Please let me know what your thoughts are.

Regards and thank you in advance.

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Hi vinsmuffin,

I am interested in possibly pursuing my MSN as an FNP and then going on to get my PhD, but I am concerned with my age. If it's not inappropriate, may I inquire of your age? I will be 38 soon.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.
Hi vinsmuffin,

I am interested in possibly pursuing my MSN as an FNP and then going on to get my PhD, but I am concerned with my age. If it's not inappropriate, may I inquire of your age? I will be 38 soon.

I'm not sure how old you might be when you start your PhD program but you are pretty young for a nursing PhD program. I was 43 when I started my program and while there were a couple in my cohort younger than me, they dropped out and I was a good 10 years younger than the remaining people in my cohort. I am told all the time how the profession is excited to have "young" nurses like myself entering the field.

BTW, I'm pursuing BSN to PhD in a program that is almost 100% online. I have completed my coursework, successfully passed comprehensive qualifying exams AKA "orals" (mine were all written). If all goes well, I should be sending my proposal to my committee then hopefully start data collection by the Summer semester.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

One of my professors in my MSN Informatics program, stopped teaching for a while. He does bio engineering. He was an ICU nurse and then discovered data analytics and now he works with the bio engineering department. They developed a robotic "nurse" for pts that may be super contagious (say Zika). They never consulted a nurse. He also got a grant for working with people to develop remote medical devices and he also works with diabetes management.

He has to teach a class now and then, but he spends WAY more time doing research. As long as he is bringing in the money, he doesn't need to teach much. It's sad because, of course, he is a fabulous teacher!

I think many Ph.Ds don't do all that much teaching if they can get research grants. I had a BF that struggled getting a tenured professor position because he couldn't get the grants. He was brilliant, but almost too brilliant to schmooze.

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