Will My PhD Hurt My Nursing Career?

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Hello Nurse Beth,

My name is Gertrude and I got my BSN in 2008 and passed the NCLEX in 2009. I however came out of nursing and went on to graduate school to get a PhD in Microbiology & Immunology which I completed in 2015.

I have not renewed my license since 2013 and I am currently in the process of getting it reinstated.

Having taking a break for so long and given that I am currently working as a researcher in the biomedical sciences, what's the best way for me to re-enter the profession ?

Will potential nurse managers be intimidated that I have a PhD (this is actually a real concern I have - being turned down because I may be seen as "over-educated").

Any and all advice is welcome! Thank you.

---

Dear Will My PhD Hurt my Nursing Career?

Allow me to re-cap. You are a researcher with a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology who graduated as an RN in 2008 and has no nursing experience.

Your challenge in landing an RN job is that you do not have experience as an RN and you also do not have new grad” status in terms of qualifying for a new grad residency or transition to practice program. Most employers specify that eligibility for new grad programs include having graduated in the last twelve months or even less.

It will take perseverance on your part to land an entry level nursing job. Be prepared to apply and then apply some more. When you land interviews, you will be asked Tell me about graduating as a nurse in 2008 and then changing careers” and How can we be sure you will not change your mind?” as well as How do you plan to use your PhD in the future?”

Consider being an employer and interviewing a candidate with your qualifications, including your PhD. What questions would you ask? These are the questions to prepare for.

Your best strategy is to network, apply to many positions, and be open to different settings/opportunities to get started, such as skilled nursing.

Best,

Nurse Beth

[beckysue920]

I think Nurse Beth has said it all. Please be tenacious in achieving your ultimate goal. Perhaps you'll run into a few road-blocks, but don't let them deter you.

Good luck and welcome back to nursing!

[carlaccrn]

Hi, your story is almost exactly mine.

[carlaccrn]

Somehow the rest of my post got deleted, don't know how. I also left nursing to pursue a PhD in microbiology/immunology. I was out 12 years, and also worked as a biomedical researcher. I took a nurse refresher course offered at a hospital in my area, and they offered me a position, although I ended up working at a small community hospital nearer to my home. They gave me a long orientation, as they needed nurses at that time. I had applied to large and university hospitals, and thought they would be interested in someone with an advanced degree, but this seemed to work against me with them. I got a lot of questions as to why I was leaving research, and I probably could never adequately explain the problems that led to my decision, as the environments are completely different. I got the feeling that they thought I had failed, and no one likes to hire a loser. I don't know why you are leaving research, many women do, but no one in the nursing field seems to be aware of this and the state of biomedical research these days. They do not know that many many smart people leave because of the general environment and the problems that you get into. One manager remarked on my good resume and stated "you would have to walk a lot on this job" and did not hire me. I only wanted a job, and have no problem with hard work. I have had a lot of managers want to hire me but I fail on the peer interviews. Most nurses are younger than me and wonder why I am not farther along in my career. I have tried to connect with the doctoral nurses at the local university hospital (I would have liked to try and incorporate more biochemical techniques into nursing research) but have gotten nowhere, even as a volunteer.

The PhD process changes the way you talk, look, act, think, and work. I have always felt the odd person out since I have returned. I would like to tell you to think carefully about the next step and other alternatives, clinical trial nursing, small companies, etc. Explore everything, and try for jobs that you do not think you might get. I do not regret going back into nursing, as many wonderful patients have helped me to regain my humanity after the cutthroat world of research, and it has also been financially stable. I have been able to save enough money to try and start my own (non health care related) business. Maybe obtaining a masters in nursing would have helped, but I did not want to sink more money into something that I did not know would help me to get a better position or not. I have just seen how little my PhD in another field means to the hospitals that I have been associated with or have tried to obtain positions in, and have not been able to mesh the two careers as I had hoped. So, think carefully and good luck!

[feelix, RN]

Unfortunately, hiring managers are looking more for experience and certification than for degrees past the BSN that would make the hospital look great.

Do all Nurse Beth has recommended, spend a year on the bedside and if you have problems adjusting, look for a research nurse position in a hospital affiliated with a university.

[Carabella]

All you need us the right manager! A job in a corporate or academic setting might be a good fit!