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

[Soh]

Hello Avery,

I am currently in my first year of my DNP program in Southern California. I am pursing an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner degree. Since I have started I have received some doubt from my colleagues and friends. The main question was if it was worth taking out loans from my private institution. They were questioning if I would make enough to make this doctorate degree worth it. NP salary does depend on where you plan to work in the future so I can’t say that I would be making a significant amount more than my current pay. However, my purpose and my reasons for wanting to further my education is valid enough. I hope more and more nurses will continue to pursue an APRN degree to solidify our roles for the future. The role of the APRN is still developing and needs alot of work. The more people we have that are involved would make our voices stronger and would allow the public to understand our roles even clearer. Nurses have a unique role as patient advocates and the role development course I am taking currently has opened my eyes to the impact APRNs can have for both the hospital and the patient. This topic clearly arises from the fact that most people are still ignorant of the role of the DNP. More education and exposure to the role of the APRN is necessary. Thanks for bringing this topic up.