Why start a doctorate program now? Aren’t nurse practitioners well trained already?
Many nurse practitioner programs already require more than 60 credits and 3 years for completion. Despite this there is a need for additional training and education. Essentially, current NP education is more demanding than most terminal master’s degrees. In response, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) recommended the development of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree “for the highest level of nursing practice beyond the initial preparation in the discipline.” Nursing as a profession competes with other health sciences specialties, including pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and audiology. These specialties have moved to the professional or practice doctorate.
