Career Goals

[Jennifer]

Have you ever considered academia as a career with your DNP? I don’t think I originally went into my DNP program thinking this was an option. I know that we do have the clinical experience and knowledge, and it could lead us to help fill the gap of the nursing faculty shortage. Just wondering your thoughts on this?

[Anonymous]

Hello Jennifer, I too did not know that I would be able to go into academia upon graduating from my current DNP program. I was under the misconception that to go into education, we needed an education degree. This was all speculation, and from what I have heard from other colleagues who want to go into education. I now have further knowledge to educate those torn between an education degree and a DNP degree. With the immense faculty shortage and the education DNP programs provide, DNPs are certainly more than qualified. DNPs add diversity to education with their experience in clinical practice and their education. DNPs have the knowledge and skills to guide students from the classroom into practicing nurses. Academia is certainly something I would love to pursue in the future.

[Anonymous]

I had not initially thought about looking into pursuing anything in academia with my DNP after I finish. I was solely going into my program with a one-track mind only thinking about practice, but I have been pleasantly surprised to have been introduced to multiple scholarly articles that really elaborated on the different career paths, including one in the academic world, of a DNP graduate and it opened my eyes to how versatile the degree really is. I agree with your statement that it could help fill the gap in the faculty shortage, there will always be a need for well-trained, educated, and experienced faculty for DNP programs and I believe that the way towards that is to change the nature of the conversation regarding what a DNP graduate can do or be. By looking at the DNP as more than just a solely clinical practice-facing degree, we can potentially gain a lot more interest in those who are in the nursing world and want to make the jump to advanced practice, but they may not want to work the clinics or acute care facilities in practice, and may not want the research heavy PhD.

[Janet (Jan)]

There are several interpersonal and institutional barriers that I’ve experienced firsthand upon returning to Sage College for my postmasters as a nurse educator and a psychiatric nurse practitioner, after earning my Doctor of Nursing Practice at Stony Brook. I was met with skepticism and a negative demeanor from my former professors, one of whom referred to me condescendingly as “Miss DNP” while they were pursuing their own Doctor of Nursing Science degrees. While I respected their academic pursuits, this attitude felt dismissive and undermined my desire to contribute to the institution.
Despite my eagerness to teach a class, I was offered only clinical rotations. This was disheartening as I felt I had more to offer. I feared that these biases might affect my academic standing negatively, prompting me to take proactive measures. I approached the Dean, presenting my concerns about the curriculum and the potential for unfair grade manipulation.
I was determined to ensure fair treatment and maintain my academic integrity. After voicing my concerns, necessary corrections were made. I managed to graduate on time with the grades I rightfully earned. My journey into teaching was never about financial gain; it was always about the gratification of seeing my students progress and thrive in their careers.
Indeed, the journey to becoming an educator is fraught with challenges, some of which may seem insurmountable. I’ve heard remarks questioning the validity of my qualifications, questioning whether a postmaster’s degree in education is sufficient for teaching. Some even argue that a PhD is necessary to command respect in the academic field. I’ve encountered similar sentiments in job descriptions, such as one at the University of Connecticut, where the qualifications for a full-time professor explicitly require a PhD.

[Author]

Posts