Passion Meets Preparation: Delineating Terminal Degrees for a Fruitful Pursuit

Course overview

A key element of the Future of Nursing report focuses on the need to double the number of doctorate-prepared nurses by 2020. The recommendation stems from the need to increase the number of nurses eligible to fulfill roles as faculty and researchers. Attaining this single recommendation is projected to create downstream effects on other key recommendations of the report such as increased nurse commitment to lifelong learning, empowering nurses to spearhead changes across the profession, and enabling nurses to collect and analyze data pertinent to heath care. In theory, this is a win-win situation, but in reality, the doctorates earned need to align with the professional goals and passions of the nurse to meet the needs of the nursing profession outlined in the FON report. This educational activity will provide information on three terminal degrees relevant to nursing practice, PhD, DNP, and EdD, in terms of typical scope, purpose, and career progression.