Generally, the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) is a clinical practice terminal degree in nursing whereas the doctor of philosophy (PhD) is a research-focused terminal degree in nursing. Personally, in continuing my nursing education to doctoral level, I would choose to pursue a DNP program because its curriculum provides education in evidence-based practice, systems leadership, and quality improvement, among other vital areas (Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, 2008). This is unlike the PhD that focuses on research methodologies, theories of nursing research, and faculty development. More notably, DNP concentrates more on clinical work whereby its research focuses on statistics and theory whereas PhD focuses much on faculty-guided nursing research and faculty development with minimal focus on clinical work.
My choice of a DNP is motivated by a variety of factors. First, as highlighted by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), there is an increasing demand for nurses with higher levels of education in practice to bridge the shortages in nursing personnel. With a DNP, I would have attained the educational expectations necessary in healthcare team effective functioning, and will have the capacity to offer leadership in design and assessment of care. Moreover, DNP nurses are needed for purposes of driving improved quality of care and safety of patients which is a national concern. In addition, the expanse of knowledge underlying practice necessitates a doctorally-prepared nursing faculty (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2018). As a DNP-prepared nurse, I will be capacitated to implement the science developed by research-focused nursing doctorates such as the PhD and DNS. Having acquired my DNP, I will be a potential candidate for opportunities such as leadership in nursing practice, management positions, academia in practice-based nursing programs, and healthcare policy, administration, or government positions. It is, therefore, evident that DNP program opens more opportunities in nursing practice as compared to PhD whose demand is particularly limited to academia owing to the expected retirement of baby boomers in that specialty.
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In conclusion, I believe DNP provides the best option for continuing my nursing education with a primary aim of improving my competence in the practice. As a result, I will be well-equipped with better clinical knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary for driving improvements in the quality and safety of patient care, providing accountability to the public, and enhancing my practice performance (LeVeck, 2018).
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2018). DNP fact sheet. Retrieved from https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Fact-Sheets/DNP-Fact-Sheet
Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation. (2008). Continuing education in the health professions: Improving healthcare through lifelong learning. Retrieved from http://macyfoundation.org/docs/macy_pubs/pub_ContEd_inHealthProf.pdf
LeVeck, D. (2018). Doctorate of nursing practice - Was my DNP really "worth" it? Retrieved from https://nurse.org/articles/how-to-get-a-dnp-is-it-worth-it/
