UMN PhD 2018

Howdy again folks,

If anyone has any advice for a PhD interview in general (not just for UMN), I'm all ears.

I know this thread is old by now and you've probably already found out if you've been admitted and made your decision, but I was wondering what ended up happening! I'm considering applying to UMN's program this fall (as well as a few others) and I'd love to hear about your experience and what you're going to do this fall. How did you decide on a nursing PhD when you're not a nurse (no judgment, just curious!) Best of luck to you this fall, whatever you're going to end up doing!

Hi there! Thanks for asking! Yep, I've relocated 1700 miles and orientation at UMN is next week! I'm insanely excited.

How did I decide on a nursing PhD as a non-nurse: I have a MS in a health-related field and I was really struggling to sort out how to best use my degree when I no longer wished to do that direct patient care work, and quite frankly, I no longer wished to work in my current field. I kept going back to nursing. When I looked at nursing programs, I didn't want to do another masters just to apply to a PhD and I definitely knew that I was done with direct patient care from an emotional labor perspective. The thing that really spoke to me about a nursing PhD was the synthesis of data and empathy, and career-wise, the ability to teach and do research (two things I've done in my current field, rather enjoyed, but there's not a lot of work there). The bottom line when looking at ANY degree program is: how will I make my living with this degree? will this degree enable me to apply for the jobs/career I want? For me, it ticked all the boxes. Does that help?

Feel free to reply if you have any other questions, I'm happy to help in any way I can.

Hi there! Thanks for asking! Yep, I've relocated 1700 miles and orientation at UMN is next week! I'm insanely excited.

How did I decide on a nursing PhD as a non-nurse: I have a MS in a health-related field and I was really struggling to sort out how to best use my degree when I no longer wished to do that direct patient care work, and quite frankly, I no longer wished to work in my current field. I kept going back to nursing. When I looked at nursing programs, I didn't want to do another masters just to apply to a PhD and I definitely knew that I was done with direct patient care from an emotional labor perspective. The thing that really spoke to me about a nursing PhD was the synthesis of data and empathy, and career-wise, the ability to teach and do research (two things I've done in my current field, rather enjoyed, but there's not a lot of work there). The bottom line when looking at ANY degree program is: how will I make my living with this degree? will this degree enable me to apply for the jobs/career I want? For me, it ticked all the boxes. Does that help?

Feel free to reply if you have any other questions, I'm happy to help in any way I can.

Wow, 1700 miles is quite a move! Congratulations! The start of an exciting adventure.

I think we have some things in common. I'm no longer interested in patient care because it wasn't a great fit for me to begin with and I really burned out after 6 years of mostly oncology. I'm struggling right now deciding between a PhD in nursing or public health. Did you ever consider public health (or another field) for your PhD and if so, how did you make your decision? I agree that making a living and job opportunities are huge factors. I'm afraid that nursing may be more clinically oriented than what I would like. I really want to study health disparities and possibly public policy solutions to disparities. What do you want to study?

Hope your program is off to a great start!

Hello GreyDay,

Can you please share with me how your PhD interview went and what type of questions did they ask?

Thank you!