Alignment of a PhD program in nursing with the AACN report on the research-focused doctorate in nursing: A...

Those involved in preparing the next generation of nurse scientists face numerous challenges, including but not limited to: relatively older age at completion of doctoral studies, insufficient funding for full-time PhD students in nursing, inadequate funding for nursing research, and the limited number of well-funded mentors in nursing doctoral programs. These issues have limited the number of students enrolled in PhD nursing programs and graduates to supply the research faculty of the future and generate nursing science. This phenomenon persists despite numerous calls to increase the number of PhD doctoral students and graduates and expedite the PhD process without compromising educational integrity. This article describes the BSN-to-PhD Pathway and the Accelerated (3 year) Pathway to the nursing PhD at an established research doctoral program that required a shift in the approach to student recruitment, curriculum development, and timely progression. Implications for practice and research are discussed.