The Doctor of Nursing Practice is a terminal degree in nursing that focuses on practice and professional work, as opposed to the Nursing PhD degree, which focuses on teaching and research.
In order to earn your DNP, you must first earn a master’s degree in nursing, which allows you to become an Advanced Practice Nurse or get your bachelor’s degree in nursing and join a BSN to DNP program, which allows you to become an advanced practice nurse and get you DNP degree in a single program. There are four types of advanced practice nurse programs – nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, nurse midwife, and nurse anesthetist. While nurses with a master’s degree can work in any of these fields right now, over the next several years, the bodies governing nurses will require that both nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists are required to earn DNPs.
Your DNP classes will focus on advanced nursing skills and leadership skills in order to prepare you for real-world nursing tasks. DNP programs deal with theory, but much of your work will also take place outside of the classroom, in clinical learning settings. The goal of a DNP program is to ensure that nurses graduating from these programs can work in primary care situations at the same level as a medical doctor.
After receiving your DNP, you can work in high-level nursing situations in hospitals, clinics, private practices, nursing homes, and any number of other kinds of medical care facilities. With a DNP, you’ll require little physician supervision and you may complete tasks that include anything from recording patient history to diagnosing diseases and prescribing treatment. At the MSN level, most nurses choose a single area of medicine in which to specialize, like geriatrics or women’s health, so with your DNP, you’ll continue to work in this area.
What kind of salary can you expect with a DNP? That depends on a number of factors, including location, years of experience, and employer. Advanced practices nurses make $80,000 to $150,000 per year, on average, and with your advanced degree, you can expect to make even more than that. You’ll also make more money if you choose an in-demand specialty such as surgical nursing or if you’re willing to become a travel nurse, where you’ll move every few months to work where there is the most demand.
American Sentinel University — DNP: Executive Leadership Brandman University — BSN to DNP: Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Brandman University — BSN to DNP: Family Psych and Mental Health Brandman University — BSN to DNP: Gerontological Nurse Brandman University — BSN to DNP: Neonatal Nurse Brandman University — BSN to DNP: Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Brandman University — Doctor of Nursing Practice Capella University — Doctor of Nursing Practice Capella University — PhD: Nursing Education University of Massachusetts — Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) University of Phoenix — Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Walden University — DNP GeneralA nurse practitioner is an advanced practice nurse who provides primary and specialty care to patients. A nurse practitioner is responsible for administering both nursing and wider healthcare services; and, they are licensed to prescribe medications. Becoming a nurse practitioner requires the completion of a master's degree program. Below are the most popular colleges offering online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degrees.
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