Will they require a DNP in the future to be a Nurse Practitioner?

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I am a current community college student and I will be earning my BSN here in a few years. Eventually in the future probably around when i'm 30 I would like to become a Nurse Practitioner. This would be around 2028. I heard that in the future everywhere will require that you earn a DNP in order to become a Nurse Practitioner. Is this true? What are the current practicing NP's with MSNs going to do?

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They should be grandfathered in.

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While grandfathering will likely occur for existing NPs, you may start to see it being required more and more on application requirements. I recently checked on going back into the air force and they require a DNP for entry level. (Oddly though they let their civilians have an MSN). Much like BSNs, they won't likely preclude ADN from testing, but the hiring process is starting to get anti ADN (regardless of experience).

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Right. People your age will have to get the DNP. The current MSNs will be grandfathered, but as time goes on, the DNPs will be more competitive in the job market. Apparently that is already happening.

Hard to believe, but not that many years ago, the NP was a one year program that you could do after getting your ADN. I am not kidding. These programs ended awhile ago but there are probably still a few of these dinosaurs around.

I am not against the DNP, I think it's great, but I wish it were more clinically focused, rather than mostly horse manure. My opinion only.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.
Right. People your age will have to get the DNP. The current MSNs will be grandfathered, but as time goes on, the DNPs will be more competitive in the job market. Apparently that is already happening.

Hard to believe, but not that many years ago, the NP was a one year program that you could do after getting your ADN. I am not kidding. These programs ended awhile ago but there are probably still a few of these dinosaurs around.

I am not against the DNP, I think it's great, but I wish it were more clinically focused, rather than mostly horse manure. My opinion only.

I had a student not too long ago who had been an NP for 15+ years and was in the RN-to-BSN program.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I agree completely. I just graduated with MSN and passed boards and I'm gagging at the thought of 3 more years (part-time) to get DNP. I see it's value in academia and administration, but there is very little clinical benefit for those of use who wish to remain fully clinical providers.

That being said, if more programs offered DNP programs where you could get a second clinical certification, I would be much more interested. For example, I'm a FNP and I would like to get AGACNP also, so instead of a post-masters certificate I can get a DNP with the AGACNP certification...sign me up!!

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Right. People your age will have to get the DNP.

Says who? I'm not aware of any mandate for NP's being required to obtain a doctorate degree by a certain time.

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Says who? I'm not aware of any mandate for NP's being required to obtain a doctorate degree by a certain time.

You are right. This is all just speculation.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

While there is currently no "mandate" for NPs to have a DNP, there are a growing number of schools that have eliminated the MSN option from their programs.

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Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.

The only specialty that will require a DNP is CRNA (all programs must transition to DNP by 2022).

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Specializes in Psychiatry.
The only specialty that will require a DNP is CRNA (all programs must transition to DNP by 2022).

Do you have a source for this?

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Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.
Do you have a source for this?

Take a look at the website of the "Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs." It's on the main page.

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