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Using Learning Outcome Measures to assess Doctoral Nursing Education
Published on: June 21, 2010
Doctoral Degree Preferences for Nurse Educators: Findings From a National Study
Tara Spalla King1, Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, Tara OʼBrien
1Author Affiliations: Director of Assessment and Evaluation and Assistant Professor Clinical Nursing (Dr King), Assistant Professor (Dr O'Brien), Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing and Assistant Dean for Baccalaureate Programs (Dr Bowles), Assistant Professor Clinical Nursing (Dr. Schubert), Clinical Instructor (Dr Fletcher), Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Educational Innovation, Martha S. Pitzer Center for Women, Children and Youth (Dr Anderson), College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus; and Vice President for Health Promotion, University Chief Wellness Officer, Dean and Professor at the College of Nursing, and Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, and Executive Director, The Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for EBP (Dr Melnyk), Columbus.
Many nurses seeking educator roles find current doctoral degrees inadequate. A new Doctor of Nursing Education degree is needed to better align education with career goals in academia and practice.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Doctoral Studies
- Academic Leadership
Background:
- Existing doctoral programs may not adequately prepare nurses for academic or healthcare educator roles.
- A gap exists in specialized education for nurses aspiring to faculty positions.
- The demand for qualified nurse educators in academia and practice settings is growing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate nurse educators' preferences for current terminal doctoral degrees.
- To identify the need for a specialized doctoral degree in nursing education.
- To assess the adequacy of existing doctoral programs for preparing nurse educators.
Main Methods:
- A national needs assessment survey was distributed to 826 nurses.
- Participants included nurses from practice, academia, and leadership positions.
- The survey assessed satisfaction with and interest in terminal degree options for nurse educators.
Main Results:
- Over 60% of respondents indicated current doctoral degrees lack essential content in curriculum development and teaching-learning best practices.
- Survey data strongly supported the development of a new terminal doctoral degree.
- Nurses expressed a need for education more closely aligned with their career aspirations.
Conclusions:
- Limited availability of relevant educational content is a key barrier for nurses pursuing doctoral degrees.
- A Doctor of Nursing Education (DNE) degree could effectively prepare nurses for both academic and practice-based educator roles.
- This new practice-focused doctoral degree offers a parallel pathway to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).
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