As the healthcare industry evolves, many of those in a nursing field will find that there are more opportunities available to them than ever before. This is even more true for those who have a Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree.
Nurses who have a doctorate will be able to lead the way in healthcare and will take an active role in shaping the policy and the patient care as time goes on. Before you go through all the work of having a DNP degree, you should consider all of the things that you can do with this degree. Some of these tasks include:
Educate the Next Generation
DNP nurses who aspire to work in academics and like to spend their time doing research, publishing, and interacting with students need to consider the right educational career path after they have completed their DNP degree.
After completing their doctorate, the nurse will be able to join the faculty of the university or they can do work in a research institution. They can also find meaningful employment by helping clinical staff or hospital staff continue their education. In this setting, they can work with students and develop the right educational methodologies and curricula for a program.
Do Groundbreaking Research
Many professionals who have a DNP degree will be able to spend their time doing research. The goal of this research is to find new ways to treat patients and to optimize the outcomes for caregivers and patients at the same time. Nurses who have a DNP will be able to launch a successful research career that helps them to help other people.
These clinical research nurses are able to partner up with academic and medical professionals to get the work done. Some of the steps that are done to help with the research includes:
- Coordinate and implement the necessary clinical studies
- Design research programs
- Choose investigation methodologies
- Take care of the study participants
- Draw valid conclusions based on empirical evidence
There are so many different types of research areas the nurse researchers will be able to help with including new pharmacological products, infertility treatments, and more. Nurse researchers will be able to choose the kind of research, and the industry, that they would like to spend their time in.
Provide a Higher Standard of Care to Patients
You do not have to pursue a research or academic path after you get your DNP degree. There are a lot of other options that you can go with and many will choose to continue working in clinical and hospital settings, providing them with a chance to work one on one with patients and provide them with the best level of care.
There are many areas that will need specialized skills and extensive knowledge compared to some of the other fields. Nurses with a DNP degree will be able to use their advanced patient care skills to help them provide better treatment to the patients.
With the DNP degree, nursing professionals can work in a lot of different fields based on where their interests are going to lead them. Some of the career options available to them will include:
- Psychiatric nurse practitioners
- Neonatal nurses
- Adult gerontology nurse practitioners
- Family nurse practitioners
- Psychiatric mental health nurses
The nurse will need to consider getting a license for a few of these positions, but these can be easier to work on after receiving the DNP degree. There are different licenses that you can choose based on the kind of work you want to do. You will have the skills you need to get those licenses as you work through your DNP degree.
Start Your Own Practice
Advanced practice nurses are going to benefit from a higher level of autonomy when they are caring for each patient because they have more specialized skills to perform the job. It is possible for these nurses to open their own clinics and even do work without the supervision of a doctor in 23 states. This can give them more freedom to do the things they love.
Many nurse practitioners will enjoy a chance to work one on one with their patients in their own private practice. They can learn everything they need to run an individual practice, without taking 12 or more years to become a doctor. This can be a good option for many nurses who wish to start out with their own practice.
If this is your goal, you should consider looking into business classes as well. Running a private practice means you need to run all the numbers, work with hiring receptionists and others, and keep up with all of the legal requirements. Having some business experience or being willing to pay for someone to come do it will make your private practice more lucrative and successful.
Lead Healthcare into the Future
Earning a DNP degree is going to give nurses the background and the context that they need to push for any of the necessary changes in the field of healthcare. Many of the biggest innovators in healthcare will begin their path by getting a doctorate in nursing degree to help them do this.
If you would like a chance to help out patients and even change the way that healthcare is done in the future, then it is a good idea to look into a DNP degree to help you get this done. This degree will give you the freedom and the knowledge you desire to see success.
Choosing to Get a DNP Degree in Nursing
There are many options that you can choose when it comes to joining the medical field. You will find that nursing can be very rewarding and getting a DNP degree will put you above some of the others in the field and gives you more freedom than you can find with other options.
Take a look at some of the things you can do with a DNP degree and see if it is right for you.
