Will you get your DNP

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  1. Will you get a DNP?

    • 16
      Yes
    • 42
      No
    • 11
      Already enrolled

69 members have participated

Will you get a DNP?

Specializes in Psychiatry.

As I reflect more on this topic, I maintain my immediate thought.

"I don't care anything about a DNP." And I don't. I think the entire premise of the degree is vapid.

Having said that, there are some things to consider.

The opportunity cost is too great. Losing work time is losing lots of money. Losing family time is losing something impalpable that you'll never get back. Billing won't change. Insurances won't reimburse more. There's no "extra" clinical value. Seems disparaging.

Presently, I keep working for income. I have no desire to maintain a clinical career, but I will do so because that's what I've got. A career change would be a lifestyle hemorrhage for my family. I'd be ok with it, but they never volunteered for it.

Sociopolitically, I don't "fit" with universities but won't say anymore about that. I don't care to advance my field with original research. Increasingly, I don't value administrators in the healthcare system and find the metrics by which their careers are assesses absurd.

That leaves me wondering, what can a DNP do for me. At a time, I considered an escape to academics or administration. I would make less money and be less enthusiastic than I am now. What's the point?

New grads, I encourage the DNP. The curriculum is shallow and base, but you will be, unfortunately, judged by not having it. Get it, but do it as inexpensively as possible. Use your local state university, work as much as you can plus 15%. But be good at what you do. Our profession has become too dilute and base.

For salty men like me, the DNP may as well be another liberal arts BA.

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1 hour ago, gere7404 said:

I'd love to continue education some day and become an FNP, but since it seems the trend is going towards schools requiring a doctoral level degree for their practitioner programs, maybe not. No interest in that much more schooling.

To be fair, it is literally the difference of 1 year of education in most schools. For new students requiring it, it's negligible. The concern most of us who have finished our NP have is that it isn't worth going back for. There's no added clinical value and nobody will pay you more for it.

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On 4/9/2019 at 8:50 PM, AnnieNP said:

Oh no, I never intend to write another paper of any kind as long as I live.

Damn! If only that "Nursing Practice" part of the degree actually added some you know.....extra advanced nursing practice. Where on earth is the nursing field going?

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Specializes in Critical Care.

By 2025 NP’s will need their DNP, if you receive your NP before that you will be grandfathered in. I choose the DNP route, I might as well go for the highest degree possible in nursing and be satisfied that I don’t have to go to school after there’s no other way up except your salary.

But it also I want to make sure I’m educated enough to give the best quality care I can to my patients. A DNP prepared nurse also opens up opportunities away from bedside you can get into administration, teaching .

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Specializes in CCRN BSN Student FNP.

not unless they mandate it for practice. Advanced practice nursing education has many issues to straighten out such as standardization of curriculum, experience requirements, diploma mills. Current DNP curricula is based on fluff such as infomatics, leadership, and healthcare policy crap. Now we have dilution of the MSN NP graduates from junk programs possibly making a DNP necessary to stand out. One might think this is an education conspiracy.

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On 9/16/2019 at 12:02 PM, RNlove said:

By 2025 NP’s will need their DNP, if you receive your NP before that you will be grandfathered in. I choose the DNP route, I might as well go for the highest degree possible in nursing and be satisfied that I don’t have to go to school after there’s no other way up except your salary.

 But it also I want to make sure I’m educated enough to give the best quality care I can to my patients. A DNP prepared nurse also opens up opportunities away from bedside you can get into administration, teaching .

Much like the previous "by 2018" deadline? That didn't happen. This will likely not happen. What we will see is more schools make their curriculum a DNP baseline before accrediting agencies mandating it. DNP will be the default through the education process.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.
On 9/16/2019 at 11:02 AM, RNlove said:

By 2025 NP’s will need their DNP, if you receive your NP before that you will be grandfathered in. I choose the DNP route, I might as well go for the highest degree possible in nursing and be satisfied that I don’t have to go to school after there’s no other way up except your salary.

But it also I want to make sure I’m educated enough to give the best quality care I can to my patients. A DNP prepared nurse also opens up opportunities away from bedside you can get into administration, teaching .

Your resolve is admirable although you do present a fallacy of logic. Your patients's care, clinically, will be no greater based on current curricular models with a DNP as there is no added value in the courses offered. Your depth and breadth of study, clinically, will be no different than a master's or post-master's trained APRN. This is the daunting part that I believe precludes working APRNs from enrolling in DNP programs in drives. However, the assumption, as you have, allows the universities to market the DNP just as they have. You, little fish, have bitten the hook.

You are correct in that academia, research, and probably the Veterans Affairs will love you for your DNP.

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Specializes in CTICU.

Nah, I think I'll get a PhD. The DNP is too variable between institutions.

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Specializes in ER, Public Health, Community, PMHNP.

I will not do it! I don’t see the purpose of this title only. However my mind can only get swayed if the pay was more.

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