Hello! I am new to the forum but have been reading here for a long time. I certainly have learned a lot! My question is this: Is there a PhD in nursing that is reasonable in price? I have been searching my options but it seems most are $50,000+ (which is ridiculous, in my opinion). I would love to find an online PhD that is less than $50,000. One that does NOT require the GRE would be a bonus! Another option would be to get a DNP. I am a nurse educator and have my MSN but am not an NP. I really had no desire to become an NP but have thought about it more lately. I know they have DNP programs now for people who are not NP's and do not want to become NP's. My last option is an EdD. I found a handful of schools that offer this option with a concentration in nursing education. I just want to keep teaching so any of these terminal degrees would be good but which one is the best and can be earned without spending a fortune? Any insight is much appreciated!
Your most affordable relevant option is probably the Doctor of Health Education from A.T. Still University. I was in this program for a few terms about four years ago, and even though I withdrew I was in long enough to be able to say that it's a good program.
The University of Southern Indiana offers an impressive Online DNP program at $270 a credit. It appears to be open to RN with a MSN and the focus is in organizational leadership. I spoke with their admission counselor and they were very courteous. College of Nursing and Health Professions > Doctor of Nursing Practice > Frequently Asked Questions There are others out there that don't require the np and the Dnp is shorter and less "complex" than the PhD however I am not familiar with acceptability of the DNP for a position in academics. I believe Chamberlain University offers a DNP for non np's as we'll. I did not have a good experience with their admissions...very disorganized. The school has a great history but was sold to Devry.
Just checked Chamberlain College and they want an APRN to apply. Here is a link to current DNP programs. You'll have to go through them to see which ones are online and accept RN. https://www.aacn.nche.edu/dnp/program-schools
In regards to the DNP, my opinion is that it doesn't have any additional utility other than saying "I hold a doctorate degree". I realize all the other professions like PT, OT Audiology and Pharmacy raised the bar to a doctorate but it appears to be a fluff thing for advanced nurses. I'm disappointed with the content and direction except for 1000 hours of clinical practice versus 500 to 875 hours. I believe DNP nurse practitioners are not any better clinicians than a master prepared NP. It does however, make the NP program a 4 year program with higher tuition costs and no additional return on investment as the healthcare sector doesn't pay any different to those with a doctorate. I'm talking clinical practice whereas academics is an entirely different ball game!
Maybe not. But soon. There is a lot of action afoot to change the practice level to the doctorate. We'll see if the programs' contents grow and if the license to practice expands accordingly. Even now, though, it's hardly "fluff." These nurses, along with their Ph.D.-prepared partners, are changing the way NPs practice and are conducting important research. Let's use the master's as a parallel. You have nurses with M.S. degrees in nursing; they're not practicing at a higher level of licensure than are RNs. But you also have nurse anesthetists, midwives, and NPs who are practicing at a higher level with their master's degrees. Those degrees have put these nurses in the same areas were anesthesiologists, obstetricians, and GPs practice (albeit, not as broadly). I wouldn't be surprised to find the DNP someday doing the same thing for NPs. But you gotta have 'em and graduate 'em first. That's what's happening now. And as anyone on this board should know, things don't stay the same very long. (Oh, and academics are not "an entirely different ball game." It is the academic research being conducted that will lead to new practices and new methods. Practice and scholarship are not two different things; they're two aspects of the same thing: the discipline of nursing.)
I understand your point but if you read the OP's post it was mentioned that the individual wanted a PHD/DNP or EdD and holds a MSN with a RN not an NP and has a desire to advance in the academic setting. The interest is in using the DNP as a "non NP" in the academic setting. I believe it is a "different ball game" but I've been wrong before! Which brings up the definition of "Advanced Nursing Practice". Historically, it meant a nurse with additional training in midwifery, anesthesia, clinical nurse practitioner, etc. It now has expanded to include advanced nursing practice in education, informatics, administration, etc.
I know NP's hate to be addressed as a "mid level provider" but they are often compared to physician assistants (PA). The curriculum for NP's includes 75% scholarship and 25% practice, while the PA curriculum is 75% practice and 25% scholarship. So the question is what makes a better "mid level provider"? More scholarship or more practice?
