Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Every doctoral degree comes with certain responsibilities. When people see the title of doctor, inherently trust and respect result. Starting on the journey to a doctoral degree comes with a lot of responsibility to the profession, patients, community and self. The long and winding road will likely have bumps. Nursing has evolved and now provides two different avenues to meet the continually growing need for doctoral prepared nurses. While nurses who have a love for lifelong learning look to their future it is important to understand how an individuals goals align with each doctoral degree. Phd and DNP have different goals related to the future of nursing.
A PhD in nursing has a focus on research and teaching which means there is also a focus on ensuring funding via grants for the institution (Cleary & Hunt, 2011). Research requires a great deal of time and energy which translates to a long time before the information generation translates into practice changes. Nurses who pursue this avenue are often working to leave their mark on the world and this can take many years to accomplish. Due to the extensive time, effort, and costs associated with a PhD, completion is also an obstacle (Cleary & Hunt, 2011). It is not for the faint of heart as the research process requires an immense amount of work. As a result of this long lead time, the new doctorate in nursing was born (Sperhac & Clinton, 2008).
The DNP was born out of a need to impact practice and patient care swiftly. Patients need to have better care today and nurses are expected to deliver this care. Nursing has a focus on evidence and data thus this lends itself to a focus on the practice side of nursing (Sperhac & Clinton, 2008). Integration of data and evidence-based practice provide credibility to the nurse thus leading to better outcomes for patients. The DNP also allows the exploration of more clinical based issues to be identified and explored more quickly as the DNP has access to needs as they are identified in the clinical setting. Innovation is expected of the DNP as they apply the research of the PhD. DNP prepared nurses can also engage in research and apply the outcomes readily. Recent changes in the global climate have accelerated the need to apply information rapidly. The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched many practitioners to the breaking point and has also opened the doors to new areas of research and application (The Impact of COVID-19 on the Nursing Profession in the U.S. | AONL, n.d.).
Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Nursing is more than a profession to most who are successful. As I look at my career progression over the last twelve months, I would never have imagined the changes I would encounter or those our world would encounter. I am fortunate that nursing is my chosen passion as it is agile and able to meet the constant changes to which we have grown accustomed. The year 2020 was labeled the year of the nurse and to me this means the year of transformation. As a result of this transformation, I personally examined my goals in a new way. Given the chance to gain insight my lifelong goal of being the best nurse I can, has driven me to pursue my terminal degree in nursing. As an operating room nurse who turned to an informatics nurse the Doctor of Nursing practice is the degree for me as my journey in nursing is anything but standard. If not now, when. I am here to seize the day.
References:
Cleary, M., & Hunt, G. E. (2011). Demystifying PhDs: A review of doctorate programs designed to fulfil the needs of the next generation of nursing professionals. Contemporary Nurse : A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 39(2), 273–280.
Sperhac, A. M., & Clinton, P. (2008). Doctorate of Nursing Practice: Blueprint for Excellence. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 22(3), 146–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2007.12.015
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Nursing Profession in the U.S. | AONL. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.aonl.org/resources/impact-of-covid19-on-nurses
NURS 8000 Discussion: The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
In response to the constant changes in health care today, nurses are responsible for remaining up to date on numerous fast changing aspects of patient care. They are also intended to help improve the quality of health care. Participating in doctorate study is an admirable approach to prepare oneself for this aim, and it can lead to new career prospects.
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree? What factors influenced your decision to seek your degree? What impact will this degree have on your career?
This week, you look at the qualities of various programs, such as the DNP and the PhD. The DNP degree focuses on clinical practice, whereas the PhD degree focuses on research. DNP- and PhD-prepared nurses frequently interact with other professional partners to assess crucial challenges and identify acceptable solutions.
Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
This initial Discussion allows you to investigate what it means to achieve a doctorate and how your chosen degree program relates to your professional aspirations.
To get ready:
Consider why you’ve opted to seek a graduate degree. How do you expect this degree to help you achieve your career goals?
Consider the experts’ remarks in this week’s media on the value of a DNP degree and the many roles open to DNP-prepared nurses, as well as the features of the PhD program and opportunities for PhD-prepared nurses.
Have you generated any new ideas or goals for your future based on the information offered this week? If so, what exactly are they?
By Day 3
Post a unified response that addresses the following points:
What does it mean to be a nurse with a doctorate in practice or research? What are the expected outcomes of this degree? How would this alter for a nurse with a different degree?
How do these factors relate to your current motivation to seek a doctorate?
Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Read a few of your coworkers’ postings.
By Day 6
Respond in one or more of the following ways to at least two of your colleagues:
Share an insight gained from reading your coworkers’ postings, synthesizing the information to bring fresh viewpoints.
Use your own experience and further research to validate a notion.
Make a recommendation based on further evidence gathered from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ posts by offering new insights or opposing viewpoints based on readings and evidence.
Walden Instructor Manager
RE: Discussion – Week 1
Due to the fact that this is the first week of class, I have opted to initiate the discussion.
Both DNP- and PhD-educated nurses are “leaders” in their own right, but the DNP-educated leader is far more focused on clinical concerns and results than the PhD-educated leader, who concentrates primarily on research and contributing to the body of literature that leads our profession.
What I find most admirable is the professional mutual respect between the two doctorates (DNP and PhD). It is acknowledged that, by working together, we are making a significant contribution to the nursing profession and, ultimately, to healthcare on a global scale.
When I received my PhD, the DNP was only beginning to gain acceptance, and many schools and universities were hesitant to declare it a terminal degree or permit its graduates to teach at that level.
Now that colleges and universities recognize that DNP grads are excellent clinical instructors and that many also teach theory courses, the situation has drastically improved. The PhD has historically
Respected and, because it is a research-based degree, preferred by schools that place a premium on having their professors publish, conduct research, and receive national recognition for new pedagogical practices, etc.
Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
Both degrees are now highly esteemed, and it might be difficult to distinguish between what they do. I do not believe any student could make a mistake by selecting either degree. It is basically a matter of personal preference and choice when determining what to pursue after completing a PhD degree.
I feel that your expectations for this prize reflect that you chose the appropriate degree!