duttyprofessor

Those of you who are certified as CNSs in multiple areas...how is that done? I'm openly considering multiple options and I'm wondering if adult health and peds could be done in any decent way.

For those who have the time to do so, the DNP seems like the way to go...but for those of us like myself who are approaching the time in their lives where starting a family is important, that would play a lot into the decision. Skepticism is healthy, too. And I think all of our state nursing boards would say different things as it's hard for them to have a unified voice about things, well, in general.

For a while, I didn't consider the DNP to be anything. I thought it seemed like a sham doctorate to make nursing compete with other health care disciplines and their final graduate degrees. However, the more I read about it, these nursing organizations hold severe sway in how our practice presents itself (as far as I can tell) and the closer we get to 2015, obviously the more graduates of DNP programs we'll have and the more they will be able to show people what DNPs can do. Nurses, as we all know, are strong advocates for our craft and yes, it's true that some of us don't adjust well to change, but there are strong arguments for the switching of members of our disciplines. ST/OT/PT need to have graduate degrees to function in their areas of expertise, for example. I'm going to give this discipline some serious consideration. The best thing that could happen with my MSN (in my opinion, mind you) is that I would be grandfathered into an advanced practice role and as the market becomes more competitive between DNPs and NPs/CNSs and the like, employers, clinicians, and people in general will start to see the overall function of the degree. Looking at the coursework, it looks substantial in some programs exactly what you would be capable of doing in addition to an advanced practice role. Again, I say this all without having an advanced practice role, but having been a RN for 5+ years with a passion for advancing my own practice as soon as possible and into the distant future.

Taken from the most recent mission statement from the AACN regarding a DNP FAQ (2009): "Until the time that state laws are changed, if a nurse desires an APRN education, and has a choice between a DNP or a master's preparation, it would be far more cost-effective to spend the additional time for the DNP and be prepared for future practice." Which if you read it in a cynical way, you'd say "Yeah, comes from the Colleges of Nursing, of course they'd want you to be in there more..." but they do hold sway in our profession. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/DNP/pdf/Essentials.pdf That's an interesting read as well regarding the DNP's ideal. It's hard to make a decision on all of this though it looks like "do it all now" or "do it all later" but you'll probably be coerced into doing it at some point.

The more I explore this forum, the more questions I see on this..all of which are extremely relevant to the immediacy of my program search right now. I mean, sure, you want to get a job while having paid the least amount for your education while getting the most out of it. Right now, obviously you'd pay less for the NP as the DNP. Though with the advent of the 2015 guidelines and being "grandfathered in", don't people think marketability down the road would be better for those who have DNPs? Like how the job market has affected ASNs and LPNs as opposed to the current BSN standard? I'm looking into a couple DNP programs now as well and while they're longer, they seem to offer strong potential for leadership and other aspects. I really see it as BSN vs. ASN and my hospital is essentially phasing out ASNs while we pursue Magnet designation. This may make a difference in the future..not as much now, but long term.

Hello all! The only other post I've made on here was in the CNS forum, so this is kind of strange..haha. I've spent every year since I graduated with my BSN in 2005 contemplating what to go back to school for and I feel like I'm on the brink. I'm board certified in holistic nursing and pediatric nursing, and through these certifications and dealing with peds heme/onc, I've discovered that my passion is in pain management through integrative means (ex. CAM modalities - acupuncture, guided imagery, meditation, reiki, etc.). I would love to keep developing my skills and function in an outpatient clinic for pain control. With these passions, my fiancee (going back to school to become an occupational therapist) and I have a pipe dream of working in an integrative pain clinic together someday. They exist! We know it may not happen for a while, but I wanted to see if there are NPs that do things like that. When I was thinking CNS, I was thinking how to change hospital policy in those matters and I realize that even though you have leeway in the CNS role in the hospitals, you're kind of constrained by what everyone else wants you to do as well. Thoughts? Do you all think a FNP would be superior to a PNP long term even though I dig the pediatric work I do in the hospital? I'd take any that you all have! Namaste, Chris

Hey everyone! I'm extremely new to this site, this being my first actual post, but I found this thread/board through a search and wanted to dive in. I'm taking prerequisites for a pediatric CNS program that's going to re-open next fall and during this time of uncertainty (will it open? is the program going to be viable?), I want to get some answers. I've been mentored a bit by a surgical CNS and another pediatric CNS who graduated 1.5 years ago and through conversations with them about what they do, it's right up my alley: policy change in the hospital, educating staff on the latest stuff, performing some varieties of research, etc. My passions are pediatric pain and integrative health (CAM therapies and the like), so I plan on bringing freshness to whatever I do. You all have provided a few on this thread already and I thank you for it. However, one of the first questions addressed (I think) was regarding the DNP. Ongoing from here on out, do you think the DNP role is similar enough to both the CNS and the NP that it will start taking CNS jobs? With my passion for advanced practice and interest in widespread change, is the DNP something I should look at prior to the MSN since there are some BSN-to-DNP programs that exist? Thanks for any information any of you can offer! Namaste, Chris