High-demand Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) courses, and how difficult it is to get into DNP. Can someone help me? My daughter is studying 3rd year of BSN.
She can look into DNP programs and see what prerequisites they require. I recommend working for a few years prior to applying.
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@2plustrio may have input.
Where I live, most pursuing a DNP have a few years of nursing experience first. You might want to look at some programs and see what they recommend…recommend usually means requires.
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I was talking with a student who graduated from a combined/accelerated BSN/DNP program. She said it was hard to find a job because most places want work experience first, particularly bedside. Going straight to work as an NP is hard, according to this graduate.
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There are a few different DNP focuses. What is the area of interest?
D’s good friend worked as a nurse for quite a few years before getting into her DNP program. She worked in a specialty, and she focused on that specialty as an NP. For her, it was seamless … she went through the program at the hospital where she had been working.
My daughter is finishing a DNP program this year. She worked as a floor nurse for 2 years first. She got into many programs. The hospital she is working for reimbursed her tuition so long as she kept working for them.
ShawD’s experience was a little different as she was admitted to a 5 year BSN/MSN program. DNPs were not common at the time (10 years ago). She did not work as a nurse in between bachelor’s and grad degree.
She did not have difficulty getting a job as an NP doing family practice, but getting the first job can be hard. She found she could not get a job in our city with a number of major academic medical centers. Too many qualified people want to live here. So, she went 1.5 hours away and got a job at a practice that was really well-managed. About a year later, she got a job in our city, but the practice was not nearly so well-managed. She has stayed with the third job for over five years and has been promoted a couple of times and I don’t believe she would have difficulty finding another job. She will at some point leave primary care (and is now studying for an advanced certification).
I have my DNP yet I am not an NP.
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