Reply To: The Discouragement Received From Nurse Colleagues When Pursuing DNP

[YuJin]

Yes, my coworkers were questioning why I would go to DNP instead of a master’s degree for a nurse practitioner. We rarely see any DNP in my work setting but there are many new nurse practitioners working with a master’s degree NP license. I made the decision to go for the DNP based on the information that DNP will be entry-level for the nurse practitioner, and I did not want to restart studying to get the DNP after my master’s NP degree. I did not need to rush to practice as a nurse practitioner. I thought that it will be my last schooling if I restart studying. So, I chose to study for a terminal degree for an NP license. There is common negativism about a doctorate degree in nurse practitioners. The title doctor is somewhat not correlated with nursing practice. in a health care setting, the doctor is referring doctor in medicine. There is resistance in the medical field to granting the doctor title to nursing practice. American Medical Association resolution in 2006 stated that nurses and other physician providers who hold a doctoral degree and identify themselves as doctors will create confusion, jeopardize patient safety, and erode the trust inherent in the true patient-physician relationship. Time has passed and nursing organizations have constantly responded to the negativism of doctorate degrees for registered nurses. Still, there are negative encounters with doctorated nurse practitioners, but DNP needs to educate others about the title and degree and the need for the doctorate degree for the evolution of the nursing profession and improving the quality of health care for the community.