Experiences of dual PHD-DNP nursing students during doctoral education

Pursuing Success in a Hybrid PhD Nursing Program

BACKGROUND

Little is known about hybrid PhD nursing students' experiences.

METHOD

The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the experiences of PhD nursing students in a hybrid program using a convergent mixed methods design. Recent nursing PhD alumni (n = 18), and current PhD students (n = 4) were recruited at a research-intensive university in the southwestern United States.

RESULTS

Four metainferences were identified: (1) the facilitator of faculty as both advisors and mentors; (2) the facilitator of peers as support, motivation, and a source of advice that preceded advisors; (3) the barrier of receiving conflicting feedback from advisory and dissertation committees; and (4) the barrier of not understanding the PhD student process.

CONCLUSION

Peer support is fundamental for hybrid PhD nursing student success; conflicting feedback and not understanding the process are significant barriers. Strategies are recommended to mitigate barriers to facilitate hybrid PhD nursing students' success. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(5):328-331.].

Mentoring students in doctoral nursing programs: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Academic mentorship usually involves an ongoing, supportive relationship between experienced academics and research candidates, and is fundamental to establishing and nurturing scholarship and the skills for dealing with the changing demands of the academic environment. Mentoring is a valuable strategy for the development of students enrolled in doctoral nursing programs (Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing - PhD, Doctor of Nursing Practice - DNP, Doctor of Nursing Science - DNS, and Doctoral Education in Nursing - EdD).

PURPOSE

To report mentorship experiences among doctoral nursing students and academic mentors, identify positive and negative attributes of mentors and the relationship between mentors and students, and assess the benefits and barriers of mentoring.

METHODS

Relevant empirical studies published until September 2021 were identified using PubMed, CINAHL and Scopus electronic databases. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method studies published in English language which reported on mentorship among doctoral nursing students were included. Data were synthesized into a scoping review with findings presented as a narrative summary.

RESULTS

The review included 30 articles, mostly from the USA, which reported on the mentoring relationship, experiences, benefits, and barriers of mentoring for the student and the mentor. Students valued mentor attributes such as being a role model, respectful, supportive, inspiring, approachable, accessible, a content expert and a good communicator. Benefits of mentoring included enhanced experience of research endeavours, scholarly writing and scientific publication, networking support, improved student retention, timely completion of the project, and career readiness, as well as developing one's own mentoring skills for future mentoring of others. Despite the identified benefits, there are a number of barriers related to mentoring including access to mentorship support, limited mentoring skills among faculty, and lack of compatibility between students and mentors.

CONCLUSIONS

This review highlighted students' expectations versus their reality of mentoring, which suggested areas for improvement in mentoring doctoral nursing students, in particular the need for mentorship competency, support, and compatibility. Additionally, there is a need for more robust research designs to understand the nature and characteristics of mentorship programs for doctoral nursing students and to assess the expectations and wider experiences of mentors.

Interventions to boost enrollment in nursing doctor of philosophy (PhD) programs

BACKGROUND

Nursing Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) enrollments are languishing, and little is known about PhD enrollment strategies that may lessen nursing's PhD shortage.

PURPOSE

This study examined strategies for bolstering PhD enrollments or enrollment intentions among college students and graduates.

METHODS

An integrative review was undertaken using Whittemore and Knafl's methodology and Garrard's Matrix Method. Nine databases were searched, and a hand search was conducted.

FINDINGS

Strategies were predominantly situated in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Features of successful strategies contained core components of faculty mentoring, hands-on research, funding and compensation, undergraduate participation, summer timeframe, informational sessions, and social support.

DISCUSSION

Less rigorous study designs and mostly STEM samples inhibit the transferability of these strategies to nursing. Qualitative research is needed to better understand nursing students' perspectives about the PhD. Additionally, current PhD enrollment strategies within nursing schools need to be systematically evaluated and the findings disseminated.

Breaking new ground? The dual (PhD-DNP) doctoral degree in Nursing

PURPOSE

1) Provide background information on the PhD-DNP dual doctoral degree, specifically historical perspectives and existing programs; 2) Describe one PhD-DNP program as an exemplar to illustrate program data challenges and solutions; and 3) Discuss the national landscape of the dual doctoral degree program.

PRINCIPAL RESULTS

PhD-DNP dual doctoral degree programs have existed for 10 years; there are five known programs nationally. Reported here for one dual doctoral degree program are data collected from the program's inception (2010) through 2019. These data include demographic program characteristics, time to degree, and achievements during and after the program. Challenges pertaining to mentorship, progression to degree, socialization and student productivity also are described. Strategies for moving the dual degree forward nationally depend on a collaborative effort for data generation and collection from existing PhD-DNP programs. These data can be instrumental for seeking funding for dual doctoral degree programs.

CONCLUSIONS

The dual PhD-DNP degree has not yet gained a foothold nationally. There is demand for the program by nursing doctoral students and availability of these programs is slowly increasing. National nursing leaders and organizations can consider developing metrics and collecting data that will lend support to future funding initiatives for the dual degree.

PhD nursing students' changing needs relative to the comprehensive doctoral examination

Most doctoral curriculums in Canada and in the United States include a mandatory comprehensive examination (CE) meant to evaluate, after a year, the students' ability to conduct research. Although the format differs between faculties, the CE has nevertheless been described by students as anxiety provoking because in most cases, a failure terminates doctoral training. A lack of scientific literature on the experiences of PhD nursing students with the CE motivated us to explore these experience and the students' needs with regard to this exam. For that purpose, a descriptive qualitative research study was conducted at a nursing faculty in Canada. Focus groups and individual semi-directed interviews were conducted with 15 PhD nursing students. Data analysis suggests that PhD nursing students' needs evolve throughout their doctoral studies. Initially, their needs focus on understanding the general process of the CE, such as its purpose and the possible outcomes. These needs gradually shift toward specific issues, such day-to-day organization during the CE. Finally, participants express frustration about variability in the support received and in the evaluation process. Results offer insights into strategies that can be implemented to optimize PhD nursing students' experience and to develop a feeling of support regarding the CE.