Washu/Goldfarb PhD

saheckler, PhD, RN · Jan 22, 2023

Not sure if I'm replying too late, but I would recommend reaching out directly to current PhD students. Hopefully they have their PhD students listed somewhere on their page? If not, you can reach out to the nursing admissions office or the PhD program director and say you're really interested in the program and are hoping they can connect you with some current students.

I recommend keeping in mind when talking to current students that they can only be so honest with you because their advisor, program faculty, and program directors have PhD students' careers in the palm of their hands, so make sure to read between the lines (I know this as a current PhD student at another school -- my experience with my advisor and program in general has been pretty bad; I try to share as much as I can with prospective students, but saying anything negative about my advisor or program is a huge career risk because of potential for retribution, so I can only hint). If you don't get glowing endorsements of the program and your prospective advisors from current students, that might be a red flag. Students who have graduated may be able to be a bit more honest with you (depending on how closely connected they remain to their advisor, and whether or not they fear retribution).

Hope I haven't scared you -- we need nurses with PhDs and I know there are supportive faculty and supportive programs out there! I hope WashU/Goldfarb ends up being a great fit for you.

Good luck!