[NPInfo] DNP and R*E*S*P*E*C*T

[suernfnp at iwon.com]

Judy, the reason I am not ready to attend my former college's DNP degree program is because I am  not convinced in any way that this degree will level the playing field between professions. From speaking with DOs and MDs where I work, I would earn great respect from them if I had a PhD in any field. They would not understand what a DNP or DNS or DrNP is. As a NP I still am required to collaborate with a physican, so the playing field will not be level in my state, no matter what degree I hold, until I can practice independently.

Sue D in Detroit, MI - The home of Aretha and R*E*S*P*E*C*T




 --- On Thu 11/29,  < jabphd83 at aol.com > wrote:
From:  [mailto: jabphd83 at aol.com]
To: npinfo at nurse.net
Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:29:42 -0500
Subject: Re: [NPInfo] Mary Mundinger

Dave:??You talk about an "end degree" for the other professions, but not so in nursing.? A Pharm.D. is a clinical doctorate.? An MD is a clinical doctorate.?A PsyD. is a clinical doctorate.? ?A DNP, DrNP or DNS are clinical doctorates.?? If anyone in these professions want to do serious research and?have major?grant funding, they will need a Ph.D.? That is why you may see MDs and PharmDs with a PhD as part of their credentials.? Academically speaking, a PhD is the terminal degree in all professions.? Many professionals do not need this degree to practice clinically or to be clinical faculty, but to do scientific research and receive major NIH grants and lead teams in national clinical trials or to be tenured in a research intense university, the Ph.D. is the way to go. <br><br>Academically,the Ph.D. is the end degree for all professions,? including nursing.? <br><br>Nursing came late to this conclusion and 25 - 30 +?yrs ago, nurses obtained doctorates in other disciplines 
until?the profession?concluded that along with a shared body of knowledge from many disciplines, ?nursing had a unique body of knowledge that would support a PhD in nursing.? Because nursing is a practice discipline with a solid?theoretical base, many nurses opted for a theoretically based education with? clinical application?versus?theoretical development and basic science research.? ?That is why?nursing first went with a clinical doctorate such as a DNS, ND and then DNP.? These clinical doctorates are evolving, but?they are all clinical doctorates that emphasize?clinical application built on a strong theoretical ?base.<br><br>What we are seeing is the evolution of a profession, with all it's growing pains, and sometimes false starts.? But nursing is moving forward and we are setting ourselves up to compete with other professions - practice and basic science alike. <br><br>If we want to compete for health care dollars? and withstand the criticism of our "lack of training and 
education" from other health professionals, we must have similar educational endpoints ( ie: a clinical doctorate like MDs or PharmDs or PsyDs) or we will continue to be seen as second?class providers by congress, health insurers, other professionals, and consumers. <br><br>I realize that you are a PA and may not have the?knowledge of nursing's history, but it is a history worth noting.? PAs are a much younger profession than nursing and the lessons learned by nursing, good and bad, may be something PAs should take note.??<br><br>Both professions know we are "good" and how well we do our jobs.? But we have to get this message to the legislators, big business, insurers and the consumers.? To do this, we must "prove" we have the knowledge and credentials to do what we say we do as independent professionals.? In today's world a doctorate is the academic credential that these groups "first" look?for before they actually see what you can do. The academic credential is the 
proverbial "foot in the door" to gain entry and then the?opportunity to prove we?deserve equal standing with other health care providers. <br><br>I am a practicing NP who is politically active, a faculty member, and a researcher.? I have also continually gone back to school to get the expertise and/or credential I needed to move forward in my profession and reach my goals.? At times I have gone back to school "kicking and screaming" because I thought my 25 yrs of experience as an NP "should count for something".? However, I must admit that I always learned something in school and it always opened up new avenues to explore.<br><br>Individual NPs and PAs may decide they do not need a doctorate to reach their individual goals or?enhance their practice and that is OK.? But, as a profession, nursing needs to compete on equal footing with other members of the health care team and to be viewed as equals by all the stakeholders, we need the academic credentials.??The clinical 
doctorate contributes to nursings' ability to compete?on an equal playing field.<br>Judy<br><br><br><br>-----

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