The nursing profession has seen many changes over time to meet the ever-growing needs of the health sector. Owing to the increased burden over health services, the role of nurses is not limited to hospitals and medical facilities anymore. At present, they are serving in a variety of settings depending upon their education, skills, and area of expertise. Similarly, the trend of availing of advanced degrees in nursing has become increasingly popular. For instance, many nurses are pursuing a doctorate to fill the gap in the healthcare settings. A doctorate in nursing can open many avenues of success for you by upgrading your existing knowledge and skills.
Here are the reasons why you should pursue a nursing doctorate.
Educating Next Generation
Mentorship is a necessary step that encourages nurses to improve their job performance and the quality of service delivery. You can help registered nurses boost their morale and extend their professional services more efficiently by training and teaching them. Availing a nursing doctorate can help you to advance your career in the training and teaching of young nursing professionals. In addition, you can build a strong foundation for the next generation of nurses by disseminating practical knowledge and experience gathered over the years. The doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) degree enables you to join any university as a faculty member and can develop and upgrade curricula according to the latest clinical practices. Thus you can train students in universities, hospitals, or medical staff working in various settings.
Diverse Range of Career Opportunities
Here comes an important question: can you get a doctorate in nursing if you don’t want to opt for an academic career? You might be surprised to know that a nursing doctorate has a diverse range of career opportunities in administration and advanced healthcare. You can serve and treat patients using advanced and specialized skills and extensive knowledge gained after a doctorate.
After obtaining a doctorate in nursing practice, a diverse range of career opportunities is waiting for you. Some roles are as follows:
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
- Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP)
- Chief Nursing Officer (CNO)
- Chief Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
- Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
- Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
- Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP)
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP)
- Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (PACNP)
Conducting Groundbreaking Research
An advanced degree in nursing leads to groundbreaking research and research methods that can help health service providers and patients. Nurses can play a crucial role in the up-gradation of infrastructure and service delivery of healthcare facilities with the help of innovative tools.
DNP allows nurses to join clinical research centers to launch their careers in an interdisciplinary approach to healthcare. By working in clinical settings, they can collaborate with leading academic professionals or medical organizations to contribute to the field of nursing in many ways. For instance, they can design research programs, implement clinical studies, conduct experiments, assist and supervise scientific studies, and finally draw results from evidence-based research.
Advanced Skill Development
By earning a DNP, you can enhance your skills and upgrade your knowledge about the latest trends and innovative strategies in the medical field. It is always profound to stay in touch with your field and learn about the current happenings. You have a chance to expand your skills based on specializations.
For instance, a clinical nurse specialist can get new insights specific to clinical practices. Similarly, if you are interested in selecting a pediatric concentration, getting a DNP will help you stand out among other pediatric nurse practitioners due to your advanced knowledge and subject expertise.
Leadership in Healthcare
A doctorate in nursing prepares you for taking leadership roles in a variety of healthcare settings. You can push for change and improve the healthcare infrastructure by using the perspective and context gained after obtaining a DNP degree.
The high-level leadership positions may range from chief nursing officer to nursing director to clinical nurse leader. The duties may include supervising nursing staff, overseeing the functioning of the patient care system, and coordinating with the healthcare service providers to ensure smooth operations. You can also become a part of medical boards in hospitals and medical facilities to directly participate in the policy-making process. In this way, you have a chance to improve and influence the health sector overall.
Assessment of Healthcare Facilities
A doctorate of nursing helps you to tackle complex healthcare challenges by making smart and well-informed decisions. You can use academic excellence and skills to resolve complicated medical situations. By using innovative solutions and updated healthcare strategies, you can play a vital role in achieving the short-term and long-term goals of healthcare facilities.
Hands-on Experience of Technology
You must know that information technology is playing an essential and effective role in easing the lives of healthcare providers. Patients can take consultations online by using the internet. Similarly, they can fix an appointment with the help of several medical apps. It has all become possible due to technological advancements in the field of health.
As a DNP graduate, you can equip yourself with the latest digital tools relevant to your field. After developing an understanding of informatics and hands-on experience with technology, you can impart your knowledge to the nursing community to deal with challenges.
Financial Outlook of Nursing Profession
Careers after getting a doctorate in nursing are in huge demand. Career outlook in nursing ensures stable growth and financial perks. An advanced degree in nursing elevates your career and gives you an edge in the competitive job market. You can earn a handsome salary package by becoming a nursing doctorate. According to the statistics, nursing professors earn a median salary of $69,800 per year on average. Nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists, and nurse practitioners have an average income of $117,670 per year. In administration roles, income is also stable, for instance, health services managers earned a median salary of $104,280 in 2021 according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Final Thoughts
Nursing with an advanced degree can become especially rewarding for you if you want to set up your own clinic without the direct supervision of doctors. However, first, you need to know whether you are entitled to this privilege as it is applicable in 23 states of the United States. It gives you autonomy and independence to practice your advanced skills and academic knowledge.
Furthermore, a doctorate of nursing can help you to establish your career based on scientific evidence thus paving the way for being influential in the field of your expertise for coming nursing graduates.