Doctoral programs prepare nurses for roles as academicians, administrators, advanced clinical scientists, researchers, consultants, and indepandent practitioners. Doctoral degrees in nursing may be professional degrees (EdD, DNS, ND) or research degrees (PhD).
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Educational Setting
Doctoral programs in nursing are offered in colleges and universities with graduate programs in nursing. The school of nursing may be aligned with the university and follow an academic model for doctoral education, or be located in a health sciences setting with a professional model focus.
Educational Base
Entry Requirements
Admission requirements to doctoral programs are set by the nursing program and the college or university. They may include completion of a MS program, evidence of scholastic achievement, and admission examinations such as the graduate record examination (GRE). Evidence of professional accomplishment and writing skills may also be required. Entry requirement for the nursing doctorate is a BS.
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Doctoral programs in nursing build on the educational base of advanced arts, sciences, and nursing of the MSN program. Depending on the educational setting, the educational base for the program may follow an academic model or a professional model.
Curriculum
There are four types of nursing doctoral programs, the Doctor of Nursing Science (DNSc, DSN); the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), which is the most common; the Doctor of Education (EdD); and the Nursing Doctorate (ND). The curriculum design of the doctoral degree depends on the purpose of the program, program objectives, and the degree granted. A typical plan includes 90 credits with an inquiry component (statistics, research methods) of 15 to 18 credits, a concentration in the nursing major (theory development, substantive focus courses) of 30 to 35 credits hours, and an external cognate minor, related to the area of concentration in the major, of 12 to 15 credits. Other credits for the degree are obtained from elective and dissertation credits.
The doctorate may be combined with other fileds of study such as the PhD-LLB degree combining nursing and law, or the PhD-MBA combining nursing and business. More than 90 credits may be required to obtain dual degrees.
The DNS is a professional degree that prepares graduates for practice. Core courses provide a base for advanced nursing knowledge and practice, clinical specialization, and interdiscilinary leadership. The research focus is on communication, use, and interpretation of findings of research rather than generation of new knowledge.
The PhD is a degree that prepares graduates to conduct basic research and develop and test nursing theory. The emphasis of the program is the discovery of new knowledge and ability to conduct research. Courses focus on clinical scholarship and the design and testing of theory.
The EeD, the least common type of nursing doctorate, is an applied degree. Graduates are prepared for scholarship and research, but the emphasis is on application of knowledge rather than generation or dissemination.
The generic doctorate, the ND, is a professional degree that is based on baccalaureate education. The curriculum prepares the graduate for generalist practice and interdisciplinary collaboration. The research focus is on interpretation or reinterpretation of nursing knowledge. Some educators advocate the ND as the degree for entry into practice.
Graduates from doctoral programs are prepared to function in advanced nursing roles. Educational outcomes depend on the type of program, although outcome differences are often negligible.
Degree Granted
The degree granted depends on the type of educational program the student attends. The degree may be a PhD, DNS or DNSc, EdD, or ND.
Licensure
Graduates from the ND are eligible to write the NCLEX-RN. Graduates from nursing doctoral programs are already licensed.
Accreditation Agencies and Professional Organizations
As of 1989 there is no accreditation for doctoral programs in nursing. The graduate program of the university, however, is accredited by its higher education accrediting body. Nursing doctoral programs are monitored by peer review and judged by the quality of the faculty and graduates. The AACN has developed a position paper on The Indicators of Quality in doctoral programs in nursing to be used as assessment guidelines.
Several professional organizations assume responsibility for advocating doctoral education. The doctoral forum was established in 1977 by deans and directors concerned with doctoral education. The group continues as a peer-operated committee and monitors and debates issues related to doctoral education. The AACN and the NLN also have committees supporting the interests of doctoral education.
References :
Grace L. Deloughery : Issues and Treds in Nursing, Mosby Year Book, St. Louis, Missouri, 1991.
Forni PR and Welch MJ : The professional versus the academic model : a dilemma for nursing education, J Prof Nurs, 1987.
Meleis AI : Doctoral education in nursing : its present and its future, J Prof Nurs, 1988.
Doctoral Programs in Nursing accredited by the NLN, 1988-89, Nurs Healt Care, 1989.
Downs FS : Doctoral education : our claim to the future, Nurs Outlook, 1988.
Andreoli KG : Specialization and graduate curricula : finding the fit, Nurs Health Care, 1987.
Edens GE and Labadie GC : Opinions about professional doctorate in nursing, Nurs Outlook, 1987.
Fields WA : The PhD : the ultimate nursing doctorate, Nurs Outlook, 1988.
Snyder-Halpern R : Nursing doctorates : is there a difference? Nurs Outlook,, 1986.
Lutz EM and Schlotfeldt RM : Pioneering a new approach to professional education, Nurs Outlook, 1985.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing : Indicators of quality in doctoral programs in nursing, J Prof Nurs, 1987.
