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?

I'm pretty sure I've commented on this before but I'll say it again: When I started applying to BSN programs back in 2010, the schools were saying the powers that be were pushing to make RNs be DNP-educated by 2015. In 2015, I applied to a BSN-to-DNP program and it still wasn't required. A year into my program I looked closer at the DNP curriculum and realised that I did not care about administration or learning more about nursing theory or making up a Capstone research project so I dropped out.

The powers that be have been saying they would get rid of the ADN for almost 40 years and I still haven't seen that happening, so I'm not really holding my breath about the DNP being required by a certain date.

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Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.
The powers that be have been saying they would get rid of the ADN for almost 40 years and I still haven't seen that happening, so I'm not really holding my breath about the DNP being required by a certain date.

I keep pointing that out, but the fundamental difference is that, for Advanced Practice, they only need to convince a handful of national certification boards not to issue certificates without a DNP, rather than the legislatures of 50 states and DC.

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They enforced the MSN for the NP role. There are no 1 year programs left, that any ADN nurse could do

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I was just at a job fair at school. I wasn't too interested because I already had a job but it was a school requirement. Anyway, the two big players in my market are not hiring inexperienced MSN NPs anymore as of the first of the year. It will happen but I think slowly

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I would like to be an NP in the future and this makes me sad :(

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I am sad that the DNP gives NPs a "doctor" title, but no real advancement in clinical competency.

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As per usual you are completely correct Oldma. We get a ton more clinical hours but the rest of the extra curriculum is dreck

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Anyway, the two big players in my market are not hiring inexperienced MSN NPs anymore as of the first of the year. It will happen but I think slowly

Did they state why?

So they would hire a brand new, inexperienced DNP graduate, but not Master's prepared?

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

Unless the mandatory DNP has a CLINICAL focus, not research focus, I'm all for furthering my education. However, I refuse to get a DNP just to write a lengthy EBP proposal. How does that make me a better clinician? Give me hands-on clinical experience, skills education, further diagnosis/treatment experience, more education on reading radiology (xrays, CTs, MRIs, etc.). I would love the DNP to mean your NP skills are top notch. Right now, the DNP is just busy-work at most schools. You focus on theory and research, and little else. I have ZERO interest in research. If I wanted to do that, I would have gone the PhD route.

As it stands right now, anyone with a master's degree in nursing can apply to become a DNP. That does not make them a practicing, competent NP. I have a huge issue with that. There needs to be a distinction between clinicians and administrators. I'm working on a dual FNP/ACNP masters. I would love to take the next step and get the DNP, but not with the current DNP curriculum structure.

The AACN, AANP and accrediting bodies need to come to a useful consensus on what DNP actually means and make a true distinction. You would never confuse an MBA with a medical doctor. Why do we have a one-size-fits-all for practicing NPs and administrators? It needs to be SEPARATE and the DNP needs to be meaningful, clinically.

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Why? Probably because its a buyers market for NPs where I live and there are only two major hospital systems so they can set the market.

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As far as reforming NP education. I'm all for it as I've stated on many occasions but I'm not the Dictator of Nursing. This is the reality of the market and our profession as it stands

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I looked into various DNP programs with an open mind. I even got some of the textbooks.

I always loved going to school, and I enjoyed getting most of my various degrees!

But I decided against the DNP at my age. It made no sense.

I will only be working another 5 years.

My opinion only- if you are under 40 you will need it.

If you are in your 40's, you have time to work on it, and you may need it.

If you are over 50, it is pretty much a waste of time.

A lot of busy work, unfortunately. A bunch of lingo and nursebabble.

And I personally would be embarrassed to use the "Dr" title.

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