Nursing education has come a long way since my aunt was a practitioner. A Registered Nurse, my aunt worked in geriatric care for twenty years, and in psychiatric care for five years before that. I took my cue from her, developing my skills in a systematic way during my undergraduate education before embarking on a serious investigation of my career options as a nurse. The Doctor of Nursing Practice was not an option until relatively recently; and it is only within the past year that I determined it to be the best degree program for my skills, needs, philosophies, and my personal vision. My skills as a practitioner are both clinical in nature and caring in tone, as I combine evidence-based approaches to health care with the artful mastery of caring for the whole person. This means that I have a culture. I need to study in a program that wisely promotes multiculturalism and family systems into its curricula, which is why I have selected this specific degree tract. Most of all, I appreciate the opportunity to be a primary care provider. The nursing profession has advanced tremendously, entrusting nurses with greater responsibilities as members of the health care team. Because I am engaged with patients, while also firmly believing in evidence-based practice, I am uniquely suited for a career as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.
I understand that the Doctor of Nursing Practice is a new terminal degree program, and not one without controversy. The nursing profession has been at a crossroads for several years, establishing legitimacy as a distinct health care field from any other while also developing a core body of research, knowledge, and praxis. Not all nurses will want to pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice, as the degree does entail a less theoretical and more clinical approach. I appreciate the more…
