Did the DNP kill the PhD? The relationship between PhD and DNP program enrollment and potential consequences for...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Doctoral Education Trends
• Healthcare Workforce Development

Background:

• Growing demand for clinical workforce has led to expansion of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs.
• Concerns exist regarding the long-term sustainability of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) nursing pipeline.
• The DNP is a practice-focused doctorate, while the PhD is research-focused.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the enrollment trends of DNP and PhD programs in the U.S.
• To analyze the relationship between DNP and PhD enrollment.
• To evaluate the implications of these trends for the nursing profession.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of publicly available national enrollment data.
• Descriptive statistics and graphical representations of enrollment trends.
• Linear regression modeling to assess DNP/PhD enrollment relationships and forecast future PhD enrollment.

Main Results:

• Significant increase in DNP program enrollment since their inception.
• A 20% decline in PhD nursing program enrollment since 2014.
• DNP enrollment is associated with 90% of the decline in PhD enrollment; projections suggest PhD enrollment may approach zero within 40 years if current trends continue.

Conclusions:

• The expansion of DNP programs and their increasing use in academic roles may threaten nursing's research capacity.
• A potential decline in PhD-prepared faculty could impact nursing's ability to conduct critical research.
• Sustaining a robust research-focused nursing workforce is crucial for advancing the discipline and patient care.