Why DNP and not MD?

Published

I'm really curious about why the AACN wants all NPs to become DNPs. I understand the notion of "advancing nursing practice" but I think that there's going be a backlash towards this because (1)if you get the additional education, it doesn't mean you actually have the stature of and MD (2) what is it that you actually study? (3)if it requires you to get the same amount of schooling, why not just go for your MD?

Specializes in Anesthesia.
No I don't.. I guess most NP have some kind of ego, so they think calling themselves whatever will make people think they are some kind of big shot.. At the end of the day, they are physician extenders... Plain and simple! Frankly, I don't see that from PharmD/PA who work harder to earn their degree...

First APRNs are not physician extenders since all APRNs can work independently and often do.

Second why is not egotistical for a physicians to use the title Doctor and it is for nurses. Both types of providers give similar care to exact same care under similar circumstances.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
First APRNs are not physician extenders since all APRNs can work independently and often do.

Second why is not egotistical for a physicians to use the title Doctor and it is for nurses. Both types of providers give similar care to exact same care under similar circumstances.

They are extenders in my state since they have to have some type of collaborative agreement with their supervising doc!

I am not going to keep repeating myself here... I did not have a problem calling my nursing prof doctors when I was in nursing school and I don't care that DNP call themselves docs anywhere else except settings where it can be misinterpreted since a lot of things they do overlap with what physicians do. Why do you think some state legislatures are trying to regulate that? Not because of the do nothing AMA!

They don't give similar care in my opinion as you claim... Come on here! You are not going to compare the AVERAGE NP with the AVERAGE board certified doc (emphasis on average here)...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Anesthesia.
They are extenders in my state since they have to have some type of collaborative agreement with their supervising doc!

I am not going to keep repeating myself here... I did not have a problem calling my nursing prof doctors when I was in nursing school and I don't care that DNP call themselves docs anywhere else except settings where it can be misinterpreted since a lot of things they do overlap with what physicians do. Why do you think some state legislatures are trying to regulate that? Not because of the do nothing AMA!

They don't give similar care in my opinion as you claim... Come on here! You are not going to compare the AVERAGE NP with the AVERAGE board certified doc (emphasis on average here)...

1. Since a physician is allowed to call themselves Doctor from the day they graduate medical school your comparison of a board certified physician and an NP has no merit when it comes to using the title Doctor.

2. Having a collaborative physician does not make APRNs physician extenders.

3. What do you call the APRNs that work in your state that work in federal and/or military facilities that have no requirement for collaboration?.

4. A doctorate is a degree it isn't designated to just one career field.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
1. Since a physician is allowed to call themselves Doctor from the day they graduate medical school your comparison of a board certified physician and an NP has no merit when it comes to using the title Doctor.

4. A doctorate is a degree it isn't designated to just one career field.

My comparison of NP to a BCP was to answer your claim that NP and physician provide the same type of care when all being equal (hence I used the word AVERAGE) because there are certainly good NP; and there are bad physicians to be honest. Comparing the two is not fair anyway since they don't receive the same type of education... i.e. one degree is more rigorous than the other. Also, the professions attract different kind of people with different intellectual ability...

I am aware that people can get a doctorate degree in most fields that are taught at a university. But that does not mean we should let the social worker with a doctorate degree introduce herself as Dr. [insert] in a hospital setting when the meaning of the word is different in THIS particular setting!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Pod and dentists ARE doctors!

But they aren't physicians, which seems to be your hang-up with NPs. They are doctorally-prepared healthcare providers. Which, again, raises the question, how are you defining "doctor"? (And why should the entire healthcare world revolve around your individual opinions about this issue??)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics/Developmental Pediatrics/Research/psych.

I am aware that people can get a doctorate degree in most fields that are taught at a university. But that does not mean we should let the social worker with a doctorate degree introduce herself as Dr. [insert] in a hospital setting when the meaning of the word is different in THIS particular setting!

If I was a doctorally prepared social worker, psychologist, PT, pharmacist... I would find it extremely offensive if you did not call me by my proper title if company culture was to do so.

I personally don't think that there is anything wrong with calling a MD by first name as is common practice for nurses. I was raised that all elders were addressed with proper titles. In a similar vein, if we want to use titles and not first names in the clinical environment it should be done properly and unilaterally.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Anesthesia.
My comparison of NP to a BCP was to answer your claim that NP and physician provide the same type of care when all being equal (hence I used the word AVERAGE) because there are certainly good NP; and there are bad physicians to be honest. Comparing the two is not fair anyway since they don't receive the same type of education... i.e. one degree is more rigorous than the other. Also, the professions attract different kind of people with different intellectual ability...

I am aware that people can get a doctorate degree in most fields that are taught at a university. But that does not mean we should let the social worker with a doctorate degree introduce herself as Dr. [insert] in a hospital setting when the meaning of the word is different in THIS particular setting!

What is breaking this taboo of calling non-physicians hurting anything? The worst thing it does is cause patients to receive more education and some egotistical people to come to grips with the fact that physicians don't own the American healthcare system.

APRNs do provide similar care with similar or better outcomes as their physician counterparts, if the amount of education alone was the definitive indicator for healthcare outcomes then the MD/PhD would be the pinnacle for healthcare education/outcomes.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

well, if they are doctor title hungry and they go for the DNP instead of MD, they probably just couldn't hack it out in organic chemistry or physics and went the pseuododoctor route

Up Vote Up Vote ×
well, if they are doctor title hungry and they go for the DNP instead of MD, they probably just couldn't hack it out in organic chemistry or physics and went the pseuododoctor route

You still call them doctor, and they wear the almighty white coat.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Anesthesia.
well, if they are doctor title hungry and they go for the DNP instead of MD, they probably just couldn't hack it out in organic chemistry or physics and went the pseuododoctor route

Another ignorant statement: I have a doctorate like many military CRNAs do. I did fine in organic chem and physics.

In my NA school we had to take pharm and physiology with the medical students and the SRNAs consistently out scored the medical students.

A nurse having a doctorate does not mean they are a physician wannabe. It just means that they had a desire to obtain a terminal degree and often a desire to expand their education even further than what was offered on the Masters level.

Physicians do not own the title of Doctor nor does any academic branch.

It does not cause harm if a nurse utilizes the title Doctor in the clinical setting unless you consider bruising someon's ego that gets butt hurt when a nurse has a Doctorate and utilizes the title by saying, " Hi I am Dr. X your nurse practitioner".

There is this great myth among some phyisicians and unfortunately some nurses too that there is this giant movement of rogue nurses that are just getting a doctorate so they can pass themselves off as physicians. This is nothing more than a ignorant myth. Nurses should be happy that their brethren are getting advanced education and not trying to put down other nurses as physician wannabe just because they want to pursue a doctorate.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in critical care.

This thread has changed its code status to DNR. So did the other one that you bumped, sauce.

While we're on the topic of you, sauce, every time I see your name, I get the song Duck Sauce in my brain.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
well, if they are doctor title hungry and they go for the DNP instead of MD, they probably just couldn't hack it out in organic chemistry or physics and went the pseuododoctor route

It's not a big deal 'sauce'! I introduce myself to patient as a doctor all the time. 'I am dr. Perez, your social worker.'

By the way, who wants to deal with orgo and physics when you can be doctor going to Capella University:cheeky:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion