Good evening, users
After my BSN I’m thinking maybe a DNP
What are the requirements for a DNP besides have a BS degree.
I am a MSN NP, I have 2 co-workers that have DNPs and we all 3 make the same salary.
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It depends what you want to do with your career. All of the DNP programs have their course catalogues online- take a look at the classes.
But first you really need to pass your boards and work as a nurse- in an actual healthcare setting, with actual patients, rather than spinning around thinking about “what comes next”. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Or start to spend the money you haven’t earned yet on the next set of courses! You are on track for nursing-- start there!
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This varies.
1st get nursing work experience. Some DNP programs will require a certain number of years before you even apply.
There are multiple DNP paths and working experience will help you decide.
Some programs require GRE and some dont. Most programs will require clinical hours during the masters portion.
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I have a friend who is a DNP and works as a pharmaceutical rep. The DNP helps her. But unless you want to do something like that or teach in higher Ed, I don’t see any advantage over a regular NP degree.
You can also get a DNP in leadership or education.
Sweet thanks…
Yes, but do you need the DNP to move into management or to be a nurse educator? Not according to the nurses I talk to - unless you want to teach at the college level.
And I know many NP’s who do not have their DNP either.
A DNP is not a required degree for most jobs. OP simply asked what the requirements to get a DNP were. And those requirements vary based on what type of DNP you will be getting.
(Its a degree I’m almost done with so I think I know a bit I guess. 
)
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Good points.
If you want to practice in a setting with MD supervision, or to practice self-directed medicine, unsupervised, in states that allow NPs to do so, you need a nurse practitioner degree. If you want to work as a pharmacy rep, even an RN will be good enough - it’s more a question of sales ability, and honestly, from what I saw, appearance was a very important part of the job. If you want to become a nurse manager/instructor, an MSN is what you need. If you want to become the head of a school of nursing, you need a PhD in nursing, a true academic degree.
Truthfully, the main reason that the doctor of nursing practice certification exists is that it is a certification with the word doctor - thus enabling nurses to call themselves “doctor so and so”. In a clinical setting where medical doctors work, the title “doctor” implies that one is a medical doctor, has an MD, so co-opting the title “doctor” for a nursing certification for nurses working in a clinical setting is sure to mislead patients. There are many, many online programs for DNP advertising themselves all over the internet. Reminds me of those for-profit trade schools, subsisting on federal student loans, for which the taxpayers are now footing the bill.
Consider what you want to do, and choose your targeted degree according to your goals.
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I dont prescribe. I wasnt after a title to confuse patients.
PhDs do their own original research. DNPs translate research into practice.
I agree NP education needs to be uniform with high standards.
I work in education which too needs change as many teaching did not have any didactic instruction on how to educate.
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You can become a NP with either a masters or doctorate (DNP). You have to compare the job of a nurse vs NP and decide which one is better for you. There are differences.
If you are asking which is better- masters or DNP- the answer is that it doesn’t really matter. Both lead to NP.
If you want to teach or go into research, you can get a PhD. You can also get involved in research with the other degrees.
The DNP degree requires approximately 2 years to complete, depending on the program.
I don’t know of any DNP’s who call themselves “doctor.” All of the NPs I know or see (masters or DNP) introduce themselves by their first name, even in a professional setting. Similar to PT- the DPTs I know introduce themselves by their first name.
If these professionals wanted to be a MD, they would have gone to medical school.
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