Getting Your DNP is Easier than Ever

In today’s challenging healthcare environment, highly educated nurses are in demand, and it is easier than ever to pursue advanced graduate studies.  There are a multitude of different resources to help you finance your education, as well as programs designed with working nurses in mind. 

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is a good resource for finding financial aid and scholarship opportunities for graduate and post-graduate nursing students.  One example is from DiversityNursing.com that is now offering their 7th Annual 2015 $5,000 Education Award. Another example is the NURSE Corps Scholarship Program (NCSP), formerly known as the Nursing Scholarship Program.  This program helps students complete their nursing education by paying tuition, fees and other education costs along with providing a monthly living stipend. 

In an  article from NursingLink by Jennifer L.W. Fink, RN, BSN, she states that, “The Affordable Care Act includes loan repayment options for nurses who choose to work in underserved areas as primary healthcare providers; some states have their own loan forgiveness programs.  Various healthcare organizations (such as the American Cancer Society) offer scholarships and grants for doctoral nursing students as well.”   Furthermore, you may want to check with your current employer as there are often opportunities from hospitals and healthcare organizations to help with at least some of the cost of tuition. 

Governors State’s DNP program prepares you for a career with a focus on one of the following advanced professional practice specialties: Community Behavior, Direct Practice, Leadership/Administration and Practitioner/Educator.  While DNP graduates are provided with the tools to assume leadership positions that meet the healthcare needs of clients in a variety of settings, our program has an emphasis on the care of vulnerable populations.  Furthermore, GSU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program is offered in a manner that considers the needs of working nurses.  Students typically enroll in two courses each term.

   

Sources:

http://nursinglink.monster.com/education/articles/2491-5-reasons-to-get-a-phddnp?page=3&skip_page=3

http://www.aacn.nche.edu/students/financial-aid#graduate

We invite you to explore our many degree, certificate and individual course offerings listed on our website.  You will find we have a highly diverse student body made up of individuals of all ages and backgrounds; our courses are taught by gifted professors.  The Department of Nursing’s exceptional program provides students the required skills to assume leadership positions in a variety of healthcare settings with a Doctorate in Nursing.

Why Should You Get Your MSN?

MSN nurses have more career options available, as well as the potential for higher incomes.  Additionally, a master’s in nursing provides the advanced education that puts nurses more on par with other healthcare providers.  Nurses with a Master of Science in Nursing have the tools to assume positions of leadership and to address the challenges of local, regional, national and global healthcare reform.   

A master’s degree is required to be an advanced practice nurse and provides the opportunity to pursue a particular area of specialization.  MSN nurses assist in patient care decisions and lead other healthcare providers.  Additionally they often fill the gap between the looming shortage of physicians and the increasing demand for healthcare services.  With the recent healthcare reform, it is estimated that an additional 31 million people will seek access to primary care, and the U.S. Dept. of Labor projects there will be a need for an additional 34,837 nurse practitioners by the year 2018*.

If you have ever thought about teaching, a MSN degree will qualify you to teach and lead clinical classes at the undergraduate level.  Furthermore, a master’s degree can be a stepping stone to getting your doctoral degree. 

Governors State University’s Department of Nursing offers an outstanding post-baccalaureate program that will prepare you for your future as a highly educated, advanced practice nurse.  Our program keeps pace with your needs, as well as the rapidly changing healthcare system, by establishing new advanced practice nursing tracks, thereby opening doors and providing the flexibility you need to advance your career.  Additionally, we serve the needs of working nurses by offering a hybrid of classes on-campus and online.  

Source:

http://nursinglink.monster.com/education/articles/22045-5-reasons-to-get-a-msn

*Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2011-2012 Edition, U.S. Department of Labor

We invite you to explore our many degree, certificate and individual course offerings listed on our website.  You will find we have a highly diverse student body made up of individuals of all ages and backgrounds;  our courses are taught by gifted professors.  To further your career opportunities in nursing, please see a complete list of the Department of Nursing’s MSN programs.

The Need for Doctoral Nurse Practitioners

In a report published in December, 2010 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), it states that 13 percent of nurses hold a graduate degree, but less than one percent has a doctoral degree.  They explain that, “Nurses with doctorates are needed to teach future generations of nurses and to conduct research that becomes the basis for improvements in nursing science and practice.” 

The IOM study is the Future of Nursing: Focus on Education and was a two-year initiative proposed and launched by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the IOM.  Further recommendations from the report, conducted by an IOM-appointed committee, says the number of nurses with their doctorate degrees needs to double by as early as 2020.  

While this may sound ambitious, they suggest a number of ways in which this can be done to prepare more students at the graduate level to assume positions in advanced practice, leadership, teaching, and research.  A few examples they cite to achieve this goal is through traditional RN-to-BSN programs, 4-year BSN programs at universities and community colleges, and improving the transition process from an ADN to a BSN.   In addition, IOM would like to see more providers of nursing education as well as simulation and distance learning with online courses and academic-service partnerships. 

Furthermore, the IOM committee recommends that the percentage of nurses who hold baccalaureate degrees be increased to 80 percent by the year 2020.  The push to increase the number of nurses with a BSN will in turn help to put more nurses in the position of pursuing advanced graduate studies at both a master’s and doctoral level.  

GSU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program is a professional practice doctorate in nursing designed for applicants to matriculate at two entry points: post baccalaureate or post master’s degree with a major in nursing.  Please see our website for the program’s full requirements and details. 

Source:

http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-Change-Advancing-Health/Report-Brief-Education.aspx

 

We encourage you to explore our many degree, certificate and individual course offerings listed on our website.  Each college has stellar programs and world-class professors, all of which are focused on delivering academic excellence in a small-class setting.  Learn more about the rich history, cultural amenities and beautiful campus that contributes to making us one of the top colleges in Illinois.