Are You a Nurse Looking to do a PhD?

For those who decide to return to school full-time, the costs of completing a graduate degree are significant – lost income, seniority, promotions, and free time. But individuals who feel that a role as teacher, researcher, and consultant and/or advisor is the best way to influence how care is delivered, accept that a PhD will give them the credibility and position to do so.

Choosing the Right Program

The most common advanced degree in nursing is a PhD in Nursing Sciences (commonly known as a DNS) or in Nursing Theory. Nurses also do PhD programs in broader areas, such as Health Policy, Public Policy, Sociology, or Psychology. And there is the option of Doctorate in Education (EdD).

A PhD (the most common and widely recognized doctoral degree) in nursing provides the widest range of career choices, including working in academia, in nursing administration, as a consultant for business or government, or as a government advisor in health policy. Those who obtain an EdD work primarily in the administration of nursing education programs. And those who do a PhD work in more general areas such as public policy or health policy and tend to work as consultants for governments, private healthcare, lobbying organizations, or teaching health policy.

Finding the Right School

Nursing faculties usually have different areas of specialization. First you need to identify the area of research that you wish to investigate in your doctoral studies. Then search the literature to find the prominent writers in that area and contact them. Admission into a doctoral program is dependent on a faculty member who is willing to be your mentor/supervisor through out the process. While most schools can accommodate almost any interest, it is best if you choose a school that has faculty with expertise in the area in which you want to specialize. You will not only have a better mentor, but you will probably have better access to research projects and research funds. Faculty members usually have their own webpages (on the university site), where you can read their CVs, research papers, and sources of funding.

You should also check the research areas of the different nursing faculties. For example, Emory University in Atlanta has particular strengths in women's health, cardiovascular disease, oncology, pain, and sleep. The University of Toronto, which offers a PhD in Nursing Sciences, has ongoing research in professional practice and HR resource planning, standards (effectiveness, utilization, and outcomes), pain management, breast cancer, and home care.

Make sure the PhD program you choose is accredited by either the National League for Nursing and/or the American Association of Nursing Colleges (AACN). In Canada, check with the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing. Do not waste your time and money with non-recognized, non-accredited institutions.

Applying for a PhD

The application process takes about one year. Most schools have application deadlines in January for admission the following September. Applications are a lengthy process. You will need to submit all of your transcripts, have taken the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), completed the application form, and obtained references. The application form is not simply a form – it requires a research proposal plan.

The Work Involved

There are two PhD nursing streams – course-based (the North American Model) and research-based (Europeon Model). Both streams require in-depth research but the European model does not have specific courses included in the program (although Doctoral students are required to gain knowledge in areas that are weak and relate to their research). In the course-based programs doctoral students are required to write and defend a comprehensive exam at the completion of their course work before proceeding on to their dissertation phase. All programs require approval of the dissertation proposal before the doctoral student moves forward with the research. The dissertation includes a major research paper that either generates theory or proposes and tests new models – hence it is both original and scholarly. Schools of nursing are now focused much more on why things are done rather than how they are done.

At this point, the doctoral student is generally elevated to doctoral candidate status. At the completion of the research work and approval of the dissertation, the doctoral candidate must defend the research before a group of examiners, and often the public, within a university setting.

Paying for Your Education

There are a number of financial assistance programs available to prospective students. If money is a concern, when you investigate the research specialties at various schools, investigate also the fellowships and scholarships they offer. Two schools may share your area of interest, but one may offer more in the way of funding. Do a search on the web for scholarships in nursing. The federal government in the US, through the Department of Health and Human Services, offers loan repayment and nursing scholarships. (Some require that, once you graduate, you work for a time in an under-serviced area of the country.) A number of organizations, such as the US Department of Veterans Affairs, are now looking at direct tuition assistance. If you are doing research in a particular area, investigate those government bodies and private enterprises that may be interested in funding your research. The National Institute of Nursing Research, which is under the auspices of the National Institute of Health has a research funding program.

In Canada, scholarships are available through the Canadian Nurses Foundation and research fellowships are available through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation. If your research impacts the organization's goals, some private non-profit groups also provide fellowships. Very few employers in Canada have programs of tuition reimbursement, or allow for education leaves of absence. However, jobs are plentiful for PhD graduates of nursing programs. There is an acute shortage of nursing faculty in university and college settings. Those with policy emphases in their research are actively sought by provincial governments as well as health boards. In other words, positions are plentiful. Many universities offer teaching assistant positions to graduate students. These positions are generally only available to full-time graduate students. A teaching assistantship is a paid, part-time position that can involve any or all of the following: leading tutorials, teaching classes, assisting with research, marking examinations, and marking papers.

Funding success rates for universities can be viewed at the NIH Awards to Health Professional Components (Fiscal Year 2002). As a last resort, student loans can be arranged through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in the United States and through the Canadian Student Loan program in Canada.

Also see our article: Juggling School & Work.

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