The recent pandemic made the entire world realized the crucial role of our healthcare professionals in maintaining the country intact. Doctors and nurses sacrificed their comfort (and even their lives) to prevent coronavirus’s further spread. No wonder the WHO designated 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. But the nurses still need additional education to bolster their patient-care skills. Luckily, they can achieve this by pursuing a DNP degree to become more skilled at their jobs.
9 REASONS FOR PURSUING DNP IN 2021
The United States has achieved an essential objective of doubling the number of DNPs by 2020. We have seen an exponential growth of “doctor nurses” between 2009 and 2018, but more highly-educated nurses are in-demand. Why should a nurse apply for a DNP degree? Well, it’ll become mandatory possibly by the end of this decade for most nursing denominations. But there are many benefits of attaining a doctorate in nursing. Let’s count some of these benefits one by one.
SPECIALIZE IN ANY SUB-FIELD:
The nursing profession has many sub-fields and sub-categories. This discipline offers NPs an opportunity to specialize in any sub-field of their choosing and become a family nurse practitioner or teach prospective students as a nurse educator. Specializations are available for nurses who wish to excel in pediatric or psychiatric healthcare. Then we have specialties in adult-gerontology acute/primary care. DNP lets you choose between any of these various concentrations.
STAY UP-TO-DATE IN YOUR PROFESSION:
Medical science is continually evolving with new practices revealing by researchers. Modern technology has introduced new gadgets that have revolutionized healthcare in the 21st century. From automated IV pumps and smart bed technology to EHR and telehealth, medical science has done miracles. A nurse must learn about these trends and changes. Healthcare professionals need to stay informed, and DNP programs tend to prepare nurses as future leaders.
MANDATORY CRITERIA FOR NURSES:
AACN has been planning to assign the DNP degree to be mandatory for all nurse practitioners. Therefore, explore and select among the available online DNP programs before this transition from MSN occurs. These programs provide economic and educational opportunities to students. Remember that DNP is a terminal degree. It’s the highest degree possible for a nurse to achieve, the pathway to becoming a specialist in your profession. Pursuing an online education leads to more lucrative jobs.
LEARN FROM THE BEST IN THIS OCCUPATION:
You can’t become influential leaders in your profession without expert supervision. Your instructors must have the knowledge, experience, and a passion for inspiring students. Fortunately, the DNP faculty possesses the caliber necessary to make you a better healthcare practitioner. It’s an opportunity to seek guidance from the best in the industry. These educators can offer you deep and meaningful insights into the field of modern nursing while mentoring you.
GET HIGH-PAYING EMPLOYMENT:
With a better education come bigger salaries! Last year’s estimates show that BSN allows you to make $60,000 every year on average. With MSN, your annual earnings reach an average of $80,000. But DNP permits you to acquire a yearly income of $100,000 or more. It seems like a proper monetary motivation for nurses to pursue a doctorate in their profession. But that’s not it! You can also learn from your well-informed and widely-experienced seniors during DNP sessions.
IMPART YOUR KNOWLEDGE TO JUNIORS:
We’ve already mentioned how you can specialize in nursing education. Our country is feeling a lack of educators capable enough to train our next generation of nurses. A DNP program enables you to impart your knowledge to other students and tutor them thoroughly. You become a vital part of the healthcare industry, and your experience can benefit other professionals. But teaching isn’t the only significant role you can play after DNP. You can also influence other nurses as a role-model.
INFLUENCE HEALTHCARE POLICIES:
A doctoral degree grants you certain credibility, enabling you to influence the national healthcare policy. Though you can still serve on a hospital board without DNP but achieving it demonstrates knowledge and experience. Nursing, unlike law or politics, is a profession generally trusted by people. A comparative study conducted in 2015 shows that 98% of patients are satisfied with NPs. So, nurses must reciprocate this trust by helping the nation make decisions in favor of patients.
GET JOB SECURITY AND POSSIBLE PROMOTIONS:
The coronavirus pandemic brought to attention the apparent shortage of healthcare experts and the need to produce more nurses. In this decade, DNP-level nurses will possess the capacity to fill the gaps made by this medical scarcity. So, nurses should acquire a doctorate in their profession to attain job security. Also, this qualification can lead to you becoming independent and self-reliant. Some states allow DNPs to establish their clinics since this degree will soon become a norm.
LEARN TO IMPLEMENT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:
Technology, as explained above, has become an integral component of our daily life. Information technology has also overshadowed every industry, including healthcare. We can see how rapidly HIT is being implemented throughout the country. This process helps nurses record the patient’s symptoms without any error risk. HIT also reduces the need to perform the same test on the patient twice. DNP programs teach students about such data-driven and evidence-based nursing practices.
CONCLUSION
The doctor nursing practice the other doctoral degree in nursing you can acquire in the United States. This qualification develops the necessary credentials to advance a nurse’s competence, enhance leadership skills, and improve this profession’s overall image. Now AACN hopes to make DNP the required minimum for NPs seeking entry-level jobs. BLS expects the number of nursing practitioners to increase by 26% (2018-2800), with 60,000+ professionals joining the workforce. This transition towards the doctorate will bolster the professional capabilities of the nursing staff. Online degrees will help nurses increase their credentials without harming their daily work schedule.