Many nurses choose their careers because they are eager to make a difference and help others. They can achieve this from day one of their jobs, as they help treat unwell or injured patients and support them in often challenging times. Nursing is a lifelong learning journey, as there are constantly new policies and protocols.
Many nurses formalize their learning with further study to gain additional qualifications. An advanced degree can help nurses advance their careers and take on new challenges. Earning a PhD in Nursing can open a wide range of opportunities, including influencing policy and policy reforms at the local, state, and federal levels. This article reviews some career advancement options available to Ph.D.-educated nurses.
Earning a PhD in Nursing
A PhD in Nursing is a terminal degree for nurses seeking a more research-focused career. Through a PhD program, a nurse will carry out research to advance nursing science and write their dissertation based on this research.
Nursing Ph. D.s can be studied at many universities across the country. However, for many working nurses, it can be challenging to take time off work, so it can be more practical to study for their PhD through an online program. Completing an online degree program can allow students to work around their personal and professional schedules.
Before investing time and money in studying for a PhD in Nursing at a reputable institution such as Wilkes University, nurses must examine what the course involves and how it can help them reach their career goals. If you are wondering what you can do with a PhD in Nursing, it can prepare you for a career in scientific inquiry, which can open a wide range of opportunities. This will include roles where you can help influence policies to improve healthcare standards. Some topics covered include theory in nursing education, healthcare issues and policy, research processes, statistics, and grant writing for publication.
Research
Research is a popular career option for those who have earned a PhD in Nursing, as this qualification is designed to provide expertise in this area. Nurses can also influence healthcare policies and policy reform in this area.
Conduct research
Nurses at any level can be involved in research, but typically, this will be done under the direction of another medical professional. It includes monitoring study patients, collecting data, and ensuring safety protocols. These are all valuable roles and will allow a nurse to see firsthand what is involved in research, perhaps inspiring them to earn their PhD. With a PhD, nurses will be involved with academic faculties and have the authority to conduct their research. During their career, nurses frequently see aspects of patient care that can be improved. Research will allow them to study the implications of changes to care or protocols and can inform the nurse on whether such change is worthwhile.
Publishing results
To impact healthcare policies and reforms, nurses will need to publish the results of their studies. A PhD marks a nurse as someone skilled in research who can speak with authority. This will allow them to publish their findings in nursing and medical journals where they can reach a wide audience. This can influence decision-making in medical facilities nationwide and beyond and may spur further research.
Policymakers
Earning a PhD is also a good option for those who want to move into leadership roles and other positions where they can influence policy. These positions can be found in several different medical settings and other organizations where nurses can apply their unique perspective in understanding nursing and patient care to a senior role.
Hospitals
In hospitals, nurses can become nurse leaders responsible for making decisions regarding hospital policies on nursing and aspects of patient care. Nurses are still under-represented on hospital boards, but this is starting to change. Working as a nurse leader can give PhD-prepared nurses a real opportunity to influence policies across the hospital and ensure that the perspectives and skills of the nursing staff are represented at the highest level. As the staff is often responsible for the greatest continuity of care, nurse leaders can be particularly influential in policies relating to patient safety and improving patient-focused care.
Non-profit institutions
Many different non-profit institutions influence healthcare policies. These can range from large, international organizations to specific condition-focused groups. They often cover the impact on public health in epidemiology, social and behavioral sciences, and environmental health. Through research and leadership roles in these organizations, PhD-prepared nurses can influence the development and implementation of healthcare policies.
Government departments
Policies relating to healthcare can be made at local, state, and federal levels, so government departments are eager to employ skilled and highly qualified medical professionals to help develop the policies that influence healthcare on a large scale. Ph.D.-prepared nurses are particularly valuable in influencing nursing standards, patient safety, and patient care policies. They can also provide perspective on a much wider range of issues.
Patient advocate
While patients often need advocates individually, advanced practice nurses, including nurses with PhDs, can also advocate for patients on a much larger scale through lobbying. They might do this for a particular group of patients, such as mental health patients or expectant mothers demanding better maternity care. They can also act for an entire community, helping improve their healthcare access. Politicians responsible for healthcare decisions will be eager to show their electorate that they listen to respected medical professionals such as PhD-qualified nurses.
Nursing organizations
There are many nursing organizations of various sizes, some working at a national level, such as the American Nurses Association, and others at a more local level or focusing on a particular area of nursing, such as the Society of Pediatric Nursing. Joining a nursing association at any stage of a nursing career offers many benefits, such as training and networking. However, nurses with a PhD can become particularly influential in these organizations.
Meet fellow experts
Nursing organizations hold regular events, such as conferences and workshops, where you can meet other expertly qualified nurses. These events often allow the sharing of ideas that may inspire further research or policy reform developments. Providing opportunities for nurses to share their knowledge and discuss ideas will help fuel the development of new ideas that can improve nursing and patient care.
Professional development
Nursing organizations help with professional development at every stage of a nurse’s career, but with a PhD, you can take advantage of many opportunities. These might include serving on a board that helps guide the policies of the nursing organization or taking a leadership role in volunteer activities. Organizations may also have funding for new research opportunities, allowing you to develop your ideas further and share them with the organization and the nursing profession.
Advancing the nursing profession
Taking on a leadership role in a nursing association will allow you to play a vital role in advancing nursing. Through lobbying, nurses can encourage better conditions regarding health, safety, and wellness in the workplace. They can also advocate for higher healthcare standards for patients. Politicians want to be seen as respectful of experts such as PhD-prepared nurses, and when these nurses are part of a nursing organization, their voices can be amplified many times over.
Publication opportunities
Nursing organizations frequently publish journals and are often looking for expert content, which can provide an earning opportunity for their members. Nurses with Ph. Ds have demonstrated their expertise, making them an excellent choice to be featured in publications. For those involved in research, this can provide the ideal opportunity to promote new ideas, policies, and reforms you have been researching and allow members to access the latest developments.
Educational leadership
Regardless of where you work after earning a PhD in Nursing, you are likely to take on a leadership role, which frequently involves impacting the education and training of others in that establishment.
Academia
Many nurses with PhDs embark on an academic career, working for a university where they can carry out their research. This will also involve a position teaching undergraduate and postgraduate nursing courses. As part of the nursing faculty, nurses can decide on the best educational practices for student nurses and the curriculum, which will influence how nurses are trained.
In hospitals
PhD-educated nurses in hospitals or other medical facilities will often occupy leadership positions, such as supervising student nurses on their clinical placements. They will be responsible for developing the student nurses’ abilities, ensuring that the program is supportive, and providing the constructive feedback needed to shape the next generation of nurses.
With new procedures, practices, and programs continually developing, nurses frequently need to update their training even without formal study. Nurses in leadership positions within a hospital can make decisions on training for their nursing staff to ensure they have the latest knowledge to improve patient care in their facility.
Community initiatives
In a frontline role, nurses are positioned to build connections with the community. Some nurses also work directly in the community or on local health boards. PhD-prepared nurses can influence which community health initiatives are employed and how they are implemented, helping to boost the community’s health through programs ranging from the dangers of drugs to the importance of healthy eating. Making decisions and developing health programs for the community is one way that nurses with PhDs can impact the health of the entire community.
Should I study for a PhD?
Nursing is a career with many possible paths, so whether you need to pursue a PhD depends on your career goals. If you plan on moving into a research-based career, a PhD in Nursing is strongly recommended and will allow you far greater autonomy in your research role and subsequent publication opportunities. However, a PhD in Nursing can help you achieve many other career goals, including leadership positions within medical facilities or in research or advisory roles elsewhere.
A PhD in Nursing requires a commitment in terms of time and money, which traditionally has meant that potential PhD students have had to plan their studies carefully. However, online courses provide a much more flexible way of studying, which means that nurses can study for their PhD alongside their work and other commitments.
If you decide to pursue a PhD, you will not only find many more career options open to you, but you will also have a greater impact on nursing and healthcare policies. You will be prepared to help achieve reform that will improve standards. For nurses who entered the profession because they were eager to make a difference, this is a powerful motive for earning a PhD in Nursing.
