phd vs doctorate in nursing

DNP vs. Ph.D. in Nursing: What’s the Difference?

• DNP vs. PH.D. Nursing Compared

Duties and Responsibilities

• Education and Certification

Salary and Career Outlook

• Which Is Best?

Are you ready to earn your online nursing degree?

Nurses who have already earned a masters degree and are looking to pursue the next step in their education have two options: doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in nursing.

Both degrees offer nurses a variety of professional opportunities, allowing them to utilize their expertise to benefit the field of nursing.

This guide outlines the differences in earning a DNP vs. a Ph.D. in nursing, and what opportunities lay ahead for graduates of either program. In understanding the roles and responsibilities of each, nurses can determine which degree is right for them.

DNP and Ph.D. in Nursing Key Similarities and Differences

A DNP and Ph.D. are both terminal degrees, meaning they are the highest degree a nurse can earn. Regardless of their choice of program, interested nurses need a bachelor of science (BSN) degree in nursing, an active and unencumbered registered nurse (RN) license, and clinical experience before gaining admittance to either doctorate program.

While a DNP and Ph.D. are both advanced degrees, they prepare nurses for different roles within the nursing field. DNP programs focus on educating nurses who want to pursue leadership roles in a clinical setting. Ph.D. programs provide nurses with an education to pursue academic or research-based positions.

What is a DNP?

A DNP is an advanced degree for nurses who want to become experts in clinical nursing. The degree is an alternative to research-centric doctoral programs, and provides nurses with skills and training to work at an advanced level in the nursing field.

What is a Ph.D. in Nursing?

Earning a Ph.D. in nursing prepares graduates for work either in academia or research settings. Graduates often pursue faculty positions with academic institutions or in a career that involves performing research in a medical laboratory.

Source: Payscale

Popular DNP Programs

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

The roles of a nurse with a DNP vs. a Ph.D. in nursing are fundamentally different. The former focuses on clinical work, whereas the latter is geared more toward research and education.

Their duties revolve around those two major areas. As such, DNPs are more likely to work with patients, while Ph.D graduates focus on educating nurses and analyzing medical practices.

What Can You Do With a DNP?

Nurses with a DNP are considered expert clinicians who are prepared for the highest level of nursing practice.

Upon earning the degree, nurses can choose to focus on leadership and administrative roles (e.g., nurse administrator, public health, healthcare policy, informatics) nursing education (e.g.,clinical nurse specialist, nurse educator), or clinical care (e.g.,certified registered nurse anesthetist, nurse practitioner).

After earning a DNP, nurses’ responsibilities may include:

• Diagnose and treat patients
• Prescribe medications
• Order various diagnostic tests
• Handle patient complains
• Consult on complex cases
• Implement policy changes

Keep in mind that some DNP programs are for roles (clinical nurse specialist, nurse educator) that will not have authorization to perform some of the above responsibilities.

What Can You Do With a Ph.D. in Nursing?

Nurses with a Ph.D. often focus on the areas of education and research. They may design studies and conduct research on clinical practices, nursing education, health systems, and public policy.

People with a Ph.D. in nursing often find employment in academic, business, or governmental settings. Overall, nurses with a Ph.D.can:

• Design, conduct, and publish research
• Develop new nursing knowledge and methods
• Utilize research results to improve nursing outcomes
• Write proposals and apply for grants to fund research
• Mentor and advise students
• Compose curriculum for nursing courses

Education Prerequisites

When looking to earn either a DNP or Ph.D., most programs require applicants to have similar prerequisites. Institutions often look for candidates who have attained an undergraduate degree, are actively able to practice nursing, and can meet certain academic requirements.

How to Earn a DNP

To apply for a DNP degree program, candidates need a BSN or master of science in nursing (MSN) from an accredited institution, a GPA of at least 3.0, and an active nursing license.

Once enrolled, students can choose an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) role such as clinical nurse practitioner (CNP), clinical nurse specialist (CNS), certified nurse-midwife (CNM), or certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA).

CNPs and CNSs then choose a population focus (i.e., neonatal, pediatrics, womens health, psychiatric-mental health). DNP candidates often focus on a research or capstone project throughout their entire program.

The program can last 2-4 years, and full-time students are able to earn their degree faster than their part-time counterparts. Students participate in courses on informatics, health policy, healthcare delivery systems, evidence-based practice, and project management.

Learners must also complete a total of 1,000 clinical hours, 500 of which can stem from a previous masters program that resulted in national certification. Learners with previous hours may become more common as some programs, like CRNA, transition from MSN to DNP-only.

How to Earn a Ph.D. in Nursing

To get accepted to a Ph.D. program, candidates need a BSN or MSN from an accredited program, a 3.0 to 3.5 minimum GPA, and an active nursing license. Applicants must also provide a CV or resume, professional references, and a personal statement.

The length of a Ph.D. program ranges from 4-6 years depending on the status of the student (full-time vs. part-time). The curriculum revolves around theory, analysis, and statistics, with students taking classes in grant writing, research design, and research methods. Since their work takes place within education and research, Ph.D. candidates are not required to complete clinical hours.

Upon program completion, DNP and Ph.D. graduates may benefit from a higher earning potential. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a steady need over the next decade for nurses with advanced training.

Ultimately, degree type, specialization, and population focus dictate the average annual salary and the type of demand nurses should anticipate.

$107,000 Average Annual DNP Salary

$99,000 Average Annual Ph.D. in Nursing Salary

DNP in Nursing Salary and Career Outlook

While the average salary of nurses with DNPs is approximately $107,000, their chosen specialization impacts their earning potential and demand. DNP-holders working a CRNAs average $164,340 per year, according to July 2022 Payscale data, while those who work in pediatrics earn $92,030 .

Not only do CRNAs earn the highest average salary, but they are also one of the most in-demand specializations; the BLS projects a job growth rate of 45%, significantly higher than the 9% average for all other professions.

Another main factor that influences DNP earning potential is years of experience. Entry-level nurses earn an average annual salary of approximately $87,000 , according to July 2022 Payscale data. Whereas those with more than 20 years of experience can earn upwards of $187,000 depending upon the specialization.

Ph.D. in Nursing Salary and Career Outlook

Much like nurses with a DNP, the salary of one with a Ph.D. varies based on focus. According to the BLS , nurse educators with a Ph.D. can receive upwards of $125,930 annually.

While all nurses with advanced degrees continue to be in demand, Ph.D. graduates who choose to become educators can especially benefit from this need. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing , nursing schools had to turn away over 80,000 qualified applicants in 2019 due to the shortage of educators.

Many states are looking to provide incentives to nurses who choose to become educators, thereby increasing the benefit of selecting this role.

DNP vs. Ph.D. in Nursing: Which Degree is Right For Me?

Deciding which degree works best depends upon a nurse’s personal and professional goals. The degrees lead nurses down two fairly distinct paths – one clinical and one research-oriented.

DNP and Ph.D. graduates are both in high demand and have above-average earning potential. The degrees differ in time commitment and responsibilities.

Nurses who prefer to work in a clinical capacity either directly with patients or in a nursing leadership role should pursue a DNP. Graduates often find themselves in a variety of clinical settings, such as hospitals, specialty practices, or public health offices.

Learners more interested in preparing future nurses or conducting research that aids in the development of new and effective nursing methods should pursue a Ph.D. Nurse Ph.D. graduates often use their expertise in settings such as colleges and universities, research facilities, medical laboratories, and government agencies.

Related Pages

Why Get a Doctorate in Nursing (DNP)?

Graduating with a doctoral degree in nursing can advance careers, increase salaries, and lead to rewarding jobs. Learn why and how to become a DNP.

Online DNP Programs of 2024

Explore the top online DNP programs. Learn about on-campus requirements, accreditation, cost, and program length while choosing your next career step.

Types of Nursing Degrees and Levels

Learn about the types of nursing degrees available and how to launch your career in this field. Explore in-demand job opportunities and earning potential.

Page last reviewed: May 6, 2022

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DNP VS. Ph.D. - 12 Key Differences Between DNP And Ph.D. In Nursing

Nursing is one of the few professions that’s associated with two different terminal degrees: the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (Ph.D.). The former degree is a clinical doctorate designed for advanced practice nurses who are actively working to improve healthcare outcomes in medical settings and who are championing the leadership role that nurses play in bringing about those outcomes. The latter degree is a research-focused doctorate designed to advance the science behind nursing practice. As of 2019, 40,271 nurses in the U.S. held DNP degrees according to statistics generated by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing while 6,994 nurses held Ph.D.s in nursing. If you’re an advanced practice nurse who’s interested in reaching the highest echelons of your profession, the DNP vs. Ph.D. in nursing quandary may be one you find yourself thinking about frequently. Keep reading to discover 12 key differences between DNP and Ph.D. in nursing.

What Is A DNP Degree?

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DNP vs PhD in Nursing - What is the Difference?

• What's the Difference Between a DNP vs a PhD?

DNP vs PhD Compared

Deep dive into dnp vs phd.

What's the Difference Between a DNP vs a PhD?

Nurses who have earned a master’s degree and are ready for the next step may be choosing between a DNP vs PhD. Both are considered terminal degrees for advanced practice nurses but are rooted in very different practices. In the most general terms, a  doctor of nursing practice (DNP) is a clinical practice degree, while a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) is a research-focused degree. 

Nurse Practitioners have the option to earn either degree, but a DNP is preferred. Individuals with a Master’s degree in Nursing Education will generally earn their PhD.

Program Length

• BSN to PhD: 5-10 years
• MSN to PhD: 3-7 years
• ADN-to-DNP: 5-6 years
• BSN-to-DNP: 3-4 years
• MSN-to-DNP: 2 years

Average Salary

• PhD nurse educators had a median annual wage of $78,580, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as of May 2018.
• According to Payscale,  nurse researchers earned an average salary of $81,500.
• Healthcare salary trends suspect DNPs average $94,500to $134,500 per year. This ultimately depends on the place of employment. This ultimately depends on the place of employment.

Job Opportunities

• The greatest need for PhD prepared nurses is in academia. According to 2018, Special Survey on Vacant Faculty Positions 1,715 faculty vacancies was identified. There is also a need for 138 additional positions to fit the current demand. 
• According to the AACN, the biggest opportunity for DNP individuals is also in academia. The data show a national nurse faculty vacancy rate of 7.9%. Most of the vacancies (90.7%) were faculty positions requiring or preferring a doctoral degree.

Certification

• Renewal: None
• Renewal: 5 years. Retake the exam or provide proof of at least 1,000 clinical practice hours and 75 CE unit

Work Environments

• Colleges & Universities
• Research facility
• Medical laboratory
• Government agency
• Universities
• Public Health Offices
• Specialty Practices
• Autonomous Practices
• Health Care Administration Settings
• Health Care Policy Advocacy Organizations

Career Options after Graduation

• Nursing researcher
• Health policy positions
• Nursing faculty positions
• Leadership in nursing practice
• Management positions
• Healthcare policy, administration, or government positions
• Academia in practice-based nursing programs

What is a DNP?

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) deliver high-quality advanced nursing care in a clinical setting, similarly to an NP; however, these individuals have taken their careers a step further.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) states that transitioning from advanced practice NP degrees to the doctoral level is a “…response to changes in health care delivery and emerging healthcare needs, and additional knowledge or content areas have been identified by practicing nurses. In addition, the knowledge required to provide leadership in the discipline of nursing is so complex and rapidly changing that additional or doctoral level education is needed.”

Essentially, DNP graduates are leaders in advanced nursing practice who bring evidence-based knowledge into the clinical setting to help improve healthcare outcomes and strengthen the leadership role of nurses in both clinical and academic settings. 

Want to know more? Check out our guide to learn everything you need to know about the DNP meaning .

The benefits of a DNP program, according to the AACN, are:

• enhanced knowledge to improve nursing practice and patient outcomes
• enhanced leadership skills 
• increased supply of faculty for clinical instruction
• development of needed advanced competencies for increasingly complex clinical, faculty, and leadership role

>> Show Me DNP Programs

DNP Scope of Practice

An individual with a DNP can function in a provider capacity but most also work to generate new scientific and clinical knowledge in nursing and healthcare. A nurse practitioner with a doctorate does not change the scope of practice. DNPs that work in the clinical setting can, 

• Order, perform and interpret diagnostic tests
• Diagnose and treat acute and chronic conditions
• Record and examine medical history, diagnoses, and symptoms
• Prescribe medications
• Manage patients’ overall care
• Counsel patients and their families
• Educate patients and families on disease prevention and plan of care
• Monitor and operate medical equipment
• Perform physical examinations and patient observations
• Collaborate with other healthcare professionals
• Detect changes in a patient’s health and change the treatment plan if necessary

DNPs that work solely in the clinical setting will rarely conduct scientific research or teach. For this reason, most DNPs also work in academia, as administrators, and/or researchers. 

The duties of a nurse with a DNP, outside of the clinical setting, can include the following:

• Use informatics to lead improvements in healthcare outcomes.
• Develop or update policies and procedures.
• Educate patients and public about healthcare.
• Innovate new healthcare strategies to improve patient health outcomes.

In 23 states, DNPs have “full practice authority” which means they do not have to work under the supervision of a doctor. Full practice states include,

• North Dakota

In states with reduced practice (Alabama, Wisconsin, and New York) and restricted practice (Virgina, Massachusetts, and California), DNPs must have a medical doctor sign certain medical patient care decisions. DNPs have prescriptive privileges in all 50 states and can administer controlled substances in 49 states.

BLS's May 2022 data shows NPs made an annual median salary of $121,6100; interestingly, there is minimal concrete data on the average annual salary of a DNP.   Healthcare salary trends suspect DNPs average $94,500 to $134,500 per year. This ultimately depends on the place of employment.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has very limited data on DNP salaries, but the reported average is $135,830. This average is based on only a small number of reported salaries. The key determining factor for DNP salary is the career nurses pursue after obtaining an advanced degree. A Chief Nursing Officer will earn more than a Nursing Professor. Ultimately, additional advanced education is reflective of higher annual salary earnings.

It is impossible to determine which DNP specialty has the highest salary but hospital administrators, DNP-prepared certified nurse midwives, and DNP-prepared certified nurse anesthetists are at the top. 

According to the 2022 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, certified midwive s can earn on average $191,470 in the San Francisco, California.

DNP Programs, Length of Time, & Classes

According to the 2023 U.S. News & World Report , the top five DNP programs in the country are,   

• Johns Hopkins University
• Columbia University, Duke University and Rush University, and University of Washington (TIE)

Johns Hopkins, Duke, and Rush have consistently been in the top 5 DNP schools the last several years. Rush University has the largest DNP program with over 765 enrolled students, while Johns Hopkins has 624 students enrolled, and Duke has 337 DNP students.

DNP programs can be completed both online and in class. To pursue a DNP, individuals already would have completed a traditional or accelerated BSN program and have an MSN. There are only a handful of programs that accept students into the DNP program without an MSN. 

A DNP program completion can take roughly one to four years. This will depend on the program and whether it is being completed on a full-time or part-time basis. Programs are typically between 30-40 credit hours and 1,000 clinical hours. A percentage of clinical hours earned during an MSN program can transfer in some programs. 

Individuals should expect to take the following classes:

• Advance Leadership
• Advance Healthcare Policy
• Clinical Information Systems
• Evidence Appraisal
• Project Development
• Clinical Reasoning
• Clinical Pharmacology
• Advanced Health Assessment and Measurement
• Health Promotion and Risk Reduction Across the Lifespan
• Epidemiology
• Ethics for advanced nursing practice

DNP Admission Requirements

Requirements for DNP programs will vary but most will require the following:

• MSN degree from a regionally accredited higher education institution and a nationally accredited school of nursing
• GPA of at least 3.0 or higher in the Master’s program
• Current, unencumbered nursing license
• RN experience 
• Letters of Recommendation (both academic and professional references)
• Official Transcripts (from all previous colleges/universities)
• Current Resume/CV
• Goal statement
• Personal essay
• Advanced Practice Registered Nursing license
• Interview with faculty (if moved forward by admissions committee)
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) if applicable 
• Application fee

What is a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)?

A Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD in Nursing), is a research-focused doctorate in which students conduct research to advance the science and practice of nursing. PhDs are considered the gold standard for terminal degrees in nursing and at one time was the only doctorate option. 

Individuals must have a strong desire to conduct research or teach students as this is generally what this degree is used for. 

PhD Scope of Practice 

The scope of practice for a nurse with a PhD is tricky. Individuals can work as a bedside nurse, but unless they are a CRNP, they do not have any advance responsibilities or roles beyond a normal bedside nurse. 

Nurses who earn a PhD typically fall into two employment categories: nurse researcher and nurse educator. 

For a nurse researcher, typical duties may include:

• Identify research questions, and design and conduct scientific research
• Collect and analyze scientific data and publish reports detailing findings
• Write proposals and apply for grants to help fund their research
• Establish and maintain quality assurance programs to ensure the validity of their data findings
• Writing articles and research reports in nursing or medical professional journals or other publications
• Presenting findings at conferences, meetings, and other professional speaking engagements
• Train and supervise laboratory staff and other nurses or scientists

For a nurse educator who has chosen to pursue a faculty position at a university or college, typical duties may include:

• Plan, prepare and revise curriculum and study materials for nursing courses
• Deliver lectures to undergraduate and graduate-level nursing students
• Design curricula and develop programs of study
• Evaluate program outcomes
• Research and publication of scholarly work
• Participating in professional associations
• Speaking engagements at a nursing conference
• Writing grant proposals
• Writing or reviewing textbooks and other educational material
• Seek continuous improvement in the nurse educator role
• Advise students and perform many of the tasks associated with academic careers
• Grade students’ classwork, laboratory and clinical performance
• Mentor and advise students’ regarding their future work in the nursing industry

PhD Programs, Length of Time, & Classes

A PhD program takes a minimum of three years if taking classes full time. Most individuals complete the programs in five to seven years. The curriculum is between 45 and 70 credit hours. There is no direct patient care practicum but there is a dissertation. 

A dissertation is a requirement of all PhD programs, and individuals must defend their manuscript during a presentation at the end of their program. The dissertation is a technical paper that is intended to show the growth of the student throughout the program. It includes theory, research, and experimentation.

>> Related: What Are the Best Nursing Research Topics?

• Philosophical Perspectives in Health
• Scientific Perspectives
• Quantitative Research Design and Methods
• Qualitative Research Design and Methods
• Mixed Methods Research Design
• Grant Writing
• Measurement in Health Care Research
• Responsibilities and Activities of the Nurse Scientist 
• Leadership in Science: The Role of the Nurse Scientist
• Statistical Methods
• Dissertation
• Longitudinal Methods
• Integrated Interdisciplinary Research Practicum
• Intervention Research Methods in Health Care

PhD Admission Requirements

Requirements for PhD programs will vary but most will require the following:

• Graduate of an accredited Master’s in Nursing Program 
• A written statement of research goals 
• Research interests that match faculty expertise and School resources
• GRE scores are accepted but not required
• Writing sample (publication or graded paper)
• Resume or curriculum vitae
• Letters of recommendation (both academic and professional references)
• Copy of official RN license(s) 
• Nursing experience
• Official Transcripts (from all post-secondary schools)

Find Nursing Programs

• A DNP is a terminal nursing degree rooted in clinical practice and intended for advanced practice nurse practitioners.

What is a PhD?

• A PhD is a terminal nursing degree rooted in research and intended for individuals wishing to work as nurse educators or nurse researchers. 

What is the difference between DNP vs PhD salary? 

• Healthcare salary trends suspect DNPs average $94,500to $134,500 per year. This ultimately depends on the place of employment.
• PhD nurse educators had a median annual wage of $78,580.

Does it take longer to become a DNP or PhD? 

• It takes about twice as long to earn a PhD DNPs can be earned in as little as one year or full-time study while a PhD takes a minimum of three years.

How long does certification last?

• DNP’s must renew their certification every five years either through examination or practice hours and continuing education hours. PhD prepared nurses do not have a certification to renew other than their advanced practice degree. 

Are DNPs and PhDs in demand?

• With an ongoing nursing shortage, an aging population, and retirement of a large percentage of nurse educators, nurses with terminal degrees are in high demand.

Kathleen Gaines (nee Colduvell) is a nationally published writer turned Pediatric ICU nurse from Philadelphia with over 13 years of ICU experience. She has an extensive ICU background having formerly worked in the CICU and NICU at several major hospitals in the Philadelphia region. After earning her MSN in Education from Loyola University of New Orleans, she currently also teaches for several prominent Universities making sure the next generation is ready for the bedside. As a certified breastfeeding counselor and trauma certified nurse, she is always ready for the next nursing challenge.

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DNP vs. Ph.D. in Nursing: Which Degree Is Right for You?

If you’re a nurse hoping to grow your impact in the field and advance your career, pursuing a doctoral-level degree may help you develop your abilities and reputation as an expert. But first, you’ll have an important choice to make. Nurses have two doctoral paths to choose from – Ph.D. in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)  – and though the degrees are equal in stature, they are very different in both their areas of focus and the careers they might lead to. 

What should you know about each degree, and how can you decide which path is right for you?

What Are the Differences Between a DNP and a Ph.D. in Nursing? 

DNP and Ph.D. in Nursing programs have a number of significant differences. The most important areas in which they diverge include:

1. Research vs. Practice A Ph.D. in Nursing is a research doctorate, while a DNP is a practice doctorate. Nurses with Ph.D.s typically conduct scientific and nursing research, which they share with the field through writing publications, presenting to their peers, and holding academic positions. DNPs, on the other hand, learn to parse the latest research for actionable insights that they can apply in the clinical setting and leadership roles to improve the healthcare system and drive better patient outcomes. 2. Academic Requirements Ph.D. students must complete and present a dissertation based on original research that advances the nursing field. This involves designing a project, collecting and analyzing data, identifying significant findings and distilling that information into a report. As a result, Ph.D. students typically develop a deep but narrow body of knowledge. 

DNP programs also include a capstone project, but instead of conducting research, students usually apply existing research to design and implement a quality improvement within a real-world healthcare setting. While DNP students don’t specialize as intensely as Ph.D. students, they can develop a broader understanding of the healthcare field and nursing practice. 

3. Patient Care and Clinical Experience Both nursing Ph.D. and DNP programs require nursing licensure for admission (except for a few programs that combine entry-level nurse preparation with a DNP). However, nursing Ph.D. programs do not involve patient care. If you choose a DNP program with a clinical track, on the other hand, you will need to complete significant clinical hours within your chosen specialty. This means that Ph.D. programs do not lead to professional licensure, while many DNP programs prepare graduates for licensure and work as advanced practice nurses.  4. Time to Completion Ph.D. programs typically take anywhere from three to six years to complete, depending on the program and the pace of the student’s research process. DNP programs usually take between two and four years to complete, depending on the student’s prior education and the track they select.  5. Graduate Outcomes Ph.D. graduates work in research in settings including universities, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies. They might design and run medical studies, educate future nurses, or take on administrative roles related to nursing.  DNPs, on the other hand, often work in clinical settings or in leadership positions in healthcare organizations or related industries.   

Get a FREE guide to help you advance your career, featuring helpful advice and thoughtful insights from nursing experts.

What Are the Career Options with a DNP?

DNPs can choose from many different careers depending on their interests and the academic track they pursue. These include nonclinical leadership roles as well as policy and teaching positions. Sample roles (with median advertised salaries from Lightcast Analytics, a leading labor research firm), include:  Nurse educator Median salary: $92,500

Nursing informatics analyst Median salary: $103,200

Chief nursing officer Median salary: $125,200

Medical policy analyst Median salary:  $129,800

Other DNPs choose to remain in patient care roles but grow their careers as advanced practice nurses. This route requires additional licensure. Potential roles include:

Clinical nurse specialist Median advertised salary: $96,100

Certified nurse midwife (CNM) Median advertised salary: $122,200

Nurse practitioner Median advertised salary: $127,900

Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) Median advertised salary: $204,500

What Are the Career Options with a Ph.D. in Nursing?

Nursing Ph.D. programs are primarily intended for nurse scientists who wish to build careers in research or academics. Some nursing Ph.D.s, especially those with more clinical experience, go on to leadership roles within healthcare organizations similar to those DNPs might pursue. Nursing Ph.D.s who hold RN licensure may continue to practice as bedside nurses, but the degree does not prepare graduates for advanced practice roles. Potential positions include:

Nurse scientist or researcher Median advertised salary: $67,800

Nursing professor Median advertised salary: $73,100

Nurse educator  Median salary: $92,500

It’s important to note that specific salaries and positions can differ a great deal since nurse scientists may work in settings ranging from government agencies to universities to pharmaceutical companies. 

Is a DNP or a Ph.D. in Nursing Right for You?

Ultimately, the choice between a Ph.D. and a DNP comes down to a straightforward question: do you want to conduct research or apply it to improve clinical practice and outcomes? Both paths can lead to rewarding, impactful careers that benefit patients and healthcare systems. 

If you wish to provide patient care, a DNP is the logical choice. It’s also typically a more straightforward pathway to leadership roles within healthcare organizations. However, if you wish to conduct studies, write research papers and present your findings to the field, a Ph.D. may be the option for you. 

Explore DNP Programs at Franklin

If your career goals make a DNP program a better fit, consider Franklin University.

Franklin’s flexible, online DNP offers both clinical and nonclinical options, as well as a BSN to DNP pathway for registered nurses who do not have a master’s degree in nursing.

With flexible tuition, low fees and a generous transfer credit policy, you can earn your DNP for less at Franklin while gaining a valuable credential that can open doors. 

Learn more about Franklin’s DNP programs . 

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DNP-PhD Comparison

The DNP degree is a practice doctorate. The PhD is a research doctorate. Graduates of PhD programs are prepared to conduct independent research and disseminate their findings. The DNP will provide graduates with the skills and tools necessary to assess the evidence gained through nursing research, evaluate the impact of that research on their practice and, as necessary, make changes to enhance quality of care. Scholarship is an integral part of both doctoral degrees.

DNP vs. PhD in Nursing: Salary, Skill and Career Differences

The  Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)  and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in nursing are among the most advanced degrees a nurse can earn. Both are valuable options for nurses who wish to move to the top of their field. While the DNP and the PhD are both terminal nursing degrees, the two are significantly different in several ways.

When comparing the DNP vs. the PhD in nursing, nurses should consider what makes each degree distinct, including what skills each focuses on and what career choices each is best suited for.

DNP vs. PhD in Nursing — Comparing the Two Degrees

Although the Doctor of Nursing Practice and the Doctor of Philosophy in nursing are two of the highest-level nursing degrees, some core differences set them apart.

What Makes a DNP Distinct?

Perhaps the biggest distinction between the two degrees is that a DNP program is a clinical practice program, while a PhD program is not. A DNP is the highest-level clinical nursing degree a nurse can earn, and DNP programs generally offer several specializations, such as:

• Adult-gerontology (acute or primary) care
• Family primary care
• Pediatric care
• Psychiatric mental health care

Nurses with a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a DNP can become certified as nurse practitioners (NPs) in their selected specialties. As nurse practitioners, DNP graduates apply evidence-based research to improve the quality of patient care and serve as lead clinicians in their  practice specialties .

DNP graduates can also pursue healthcare management positions. These professionals serve as lead patient safety advocates and are involved with high-level decision-making and policy setting. Additionally, those in nurse leadership roles provide guidance and oversight to the registered nurses (RNs) and NPs on their teams.

The timeline for earning a DNP varies depending on the student’s current degree and program type. A nurse with a master’s can complete a  DNP program  in as little as 20 months (or 36 months with an NP specialization), while it can take as little as 40 months for a nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to complete a program such as Maryville’s  online accelerated BSN to DNP .

What Makes a PhD in Nursing Distinct?

While a DNP program is focused on clinical patient care, a PhD in nursing program is nonclinical. Students in PhD in nursing programs focus on science and research. PhD students are preparing to become experts in their profession, and PhD graduates often work as nurse educators in an academic setting or as nurse researchers, according to the American Association of Colleges in Nursing.

Different PhD in nursing programs emphasize different areas of study. For instance, some emphasize health education while others emphasize policy research. PhD students should expect coursework that covers the philosophy and history of nursing as well as healthcare techniques. A PhD program also typically features research projects and clinical trials. PhD students must complete a dissertation that summarizes the findings of their research.

PhD coursework is considerably more demanding than DNP coursework, which is reflected in the length of the program. PhD students with a bachelor’s degree may take upward of 10 years to complete a PhD, while those with a master’s degree may take seven years.

DNP vs. PhD in Nursing — Comparing Skills and Careers

DNP graduates gain a superior set of clinical skills and practice-based experience in patient care. The scope of those skills are primarily dictated by their specialty. For instance, a family primary care specialist has a broad skill set in managing overall patient care, as they work with all demographics of patients. By comparison, a pediatric care specialist focuses on preventive care such as vaccinations and screening for illnesses that affect young children.

Whatever their specialties, these are among common responsibilities of DNP graduates:

• Observing patients and performing physical exams
• Updating patient medical histories and recording current symptoms
• Ordering and administering patient tests
• Operating medical equipment used for exams
• Diagnosing health issues and developing treatment plans
• Educating patients and their families so they can better manage their health
• Prescribing medication (in full practice authority states)

By comparison, the skills acquired through a PhD in nursing program are primarily academic. Although PhD graduates do not operate in a clinical capacity, they do possess a more comprehensive knowledge base when compared to DNP graduates. In the role of nurse educators, they perform the following job duties:

• Planning and developing curricula for nursing programs
• Delivering lectures to nursing students
• Mentoring nursing students
• Supervising students as they engage in clinical or lab work
• Grading student work (lab assignments, clinicals, and homework)
• Serving as a knowledge resource for students

Some PhD graduates pursue careers as nurse researchers working in lab settings. In this role, they perform the following duties:

• Developing research questions in collaboration with other researchers and scientists
• Collecting and analyzing data pertaining to their research studies
• Writing detailed reports that summarize their findings
• Training and supervising nurse scientists and other laboratory staff
• Writing research and grant proposals to secure funding

Salary and Career Outlook

Individuals with a DNP degree had a median annual salary of approximately $108,000 in October 2022, according to the salary statistics site PayScale. By comparison, those with a PhD in nursing had a median annual salary of approximately $97,000.

Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners had a median annual salary of $123,780 in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These roles will grow 40% between 2021 and 2031, the BLS projects, which is much faster than the projected average for all occupations of 5%.

Nursing instructors and teachers (postsecondary) had a median annual salary of $77,440, according to the BLS. The role of postsecondary teachers will increase by 12% between 2021 and 2031.

Pursue a Career with an Advanced Nursing Degree

When comparing a DNP vs. a PhD in nursing, it’s important to point out that graduates of both degree programs go on to do crucial work. Nurse practitioners treat patients directly and help save lives; nurse leaders make important safety and efficiency decisions; and nurse educators and researchers impart knowledge to the next generation of nurses and push the field forward.

Nurses with a passion for helping patients thrive should consider a DNP program such as the  online accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Doctor of Nursing Practice program  at Maryville University. With five concentrations to choose from, the DNP program at Maryville prepares  BSN students  to become nurse leaders and nurse practitioners in the specialty of their choosing. Maryville students have the added convenience of being able to access coursework 100% online and complete clinicals locally.

Take the first step toward a career as a nurse practitioner by learning more about Maryville University’s  online nursing degree  programs.

• Master of Science in Nursing
• Doctor of Nursing Practice

American Association of Colleges of Nursing, DNP Fact Sheet

American Association of Colleges of Nursing, PhD Education

American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Practitioner (NP) Certification

Betterteam, Family Nurse Practitioner Job Description

Betterteam, Nurse Practitioner Job Description

Incredible Health, “Comparing the Differences Between a DNP vs. Ph.D. in Nursing”

Indeed, “What Is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner?”

Payscale, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Degree

Payscale, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Nursing Degree

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021, 25-1072 Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Postsecondary Teachers

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What is the Difference Between a Ph.D. and a DNP in Nursing?

The push for nurses to advance their education and earn doctorate degrees has grown substantially. While there are certain clinical nursing roles that don't currently require an advanced degree, that trend is changing. Additionally, nurses who already have a doctorate will only continue to have an advantage in the healthcare setting.

Whether you already have your master’s degree, are currently working in a nurse specialty, or are considering enrolling in a graduate degree program, it’s worth thinking about whether a terminal degree makes sense to further your career as a nurse. 

• Ph.D. vs DNP in Nursing

There are two doctorate pathways nurses can take to earn a terminal degree — a Ph.D. in Nursing or a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP). A terminal degree refers to the highest academic credential for a given discipline.

What is a Ph.D. in Nursing?

The Ph.D. stands for a doctorate of philosophy, which is primarily a research doctorate. You’re probably familiar with the Ph.D. because this is what most professors at four-year universities have. It’s a terminal degree for those focused on researching and adding new knowledge to a specific discipline. 

A Ph.D. in nursing is designed for those who want to research and find new knowledge within the field of nursing. With a Ph.D, you can conduct research in different areas of the healthcare system — from clinical, educational, policy, and more.  It’s also for those who specifically want to teach at a major research university (although you can still teach with a DNP at some smaller universities). 

What is a DNP?

In comparison, the DNP, which stands for Doctor of Nursing Practice, is focused on clinical practice rather than research. DNP programs are typically modeled after and have a similar structure and style as other clinical practice doctorates like the medical doctorate (MD), occupational therapy doctorate (OTD), or pharmacy doctorate (Pharm.D.).

At PLNU, you can earn your DNP in three different specialties:

• Doctorate of Nursing Practice, Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Doctorate of Nursing Practice, Family Nurse Practitioner
• Doctorate of Nursing Practice, Healthcare Leadership

Which Degree is Right for Me?

Choosing the right nursing graduate degree depends on your long-term goals. Once you understand what you want to do, you can then forge the path toward how to get there. 

• Do you see yourself in a classroom educating future nurses? 
• Do you want to perform research? 
• Do you picture yourself applying research findings by working hands-on with patients? 

Do you prefer to step into a leadership role and make decisions regarding your healthcare team’s protocols, etc.? 

While you can find a full-time job teaching at a smaller university with a DNP, there are many universities that don’t offer tenure-track positions to nursing faculty unless they have a Ph.D. A tenure-track position within higher education is a position that, after a few years of being reviewed for research production and teaching competence, you are guaranteed a full-time job at the university until you retire. 

__________ Who are you called to be? Pursue your purpose at PLNU. __________

• How Long-Term Goals Can Help You Decide Ph.D. or DNP

Ph.D. in Nursing 

If you’re considering a Ph.D. or DNP, it’s important to envision your end goal. If you love research and are committed to growing knowledge within the field of nursing, then the Ph.D. is probably the better choice. Additionally, if you’re committed to teaching at a larger school as well as doing research, then, again, the Ph.D. is going to be the better option for you.

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Yet, the DNP is the better option if you see yourself staying within the clinical setting , even as an administrator one day. A Ph.D. conducts comprehensive and original research, and DNPs use that research and apply it to a clinical setting to improve healthcare.

Use Your Passions to Drive Your Nursing Career Path 

Ph.d. vs dnp.

Michelle Riingen, DNP, RN, CNS-BC , the Dean of PLNU's School of Nursing, earned her DNP instead of a Ph.D. because she wanted to enhance her clinical expertise in nursing.

“I became a nurse because I wanted to provide care for patients,” Riingen said. “My heart has always been at the bedside, and I wanted to get my advanced degrees so I could be a better nurse as well as work with other nurses in taking care of their patients.” 

PLNU alumni Lindsey Ryan (05, MSN 10), on the other hand, opted to go for a Ph.D. instead of a DNP.

“One of the things I really felt passionate about was generating new knowledge, and that was what the Ph.D. program was all about,” Ryan said. “The DNP-prepared nurses translate the evidence. The Ph.D.-prepared nurses are creating it. I felt very comfortable in my role with translating some of that research and implementing evidence-based practices, but I wasn’t knowledgeable about creating new evidence, and that seemed really exciting to me."

"I love innovating. I love asking questions. So the Ph.D. route really gave me a platform to ask the questions, ask them in a scientific way, and use different methods to answer those questions.”

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PhD and DNP Degrees

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Why Earn a PhD or DNP?

The two most common types of doctoral nursing degrees are the doctor of philosophy in nursing, or PhD in nursing, and the doctor of nursing practice (DNP). Nurses with a doctorate in nursing can teach and conduct research and have more opportunities for advancement. For nurses looking for a fulfilling career as a leader in the nursing profession, a PhD in Nursing or DNP degree are exciting options.

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There is no doubt that education is the path for a nurse to achieve greater clinical expertise. At the same time, however, the nursing profession needs more nurses educated at the doctoral level to replenish the supply of faculty and researchers. The national shortage of faculty will soon reach critical proportions, having a significant impact on educational programs and their capacity to educate future generations of nursing students.

Although the number of doctorate programs has continued to increase, the total enrollment of students in these programs has remained fairly constant, resulting in a shortage of newly minted PhDs to renew faculty ranks.  As a result, approximately 50% of nursing faculty possess the doctorate as a terminal degree. Furthermore, with many advances being made in the treatment of chronic illnesses, there is a continuing need for research that assists patients in living with their illness.  This research requires individual investigators who are prepared on the doctoral level.

One reason there is a lack of nurses prepared at the doctoral level is that, compared with other professions, nurses have more interruptions in their careers. Many in the profession are females who work as nurses while fulfilling responsibilities as wives and mothers.  As a result, many pursue their education on a part-time basis. Also, the nursing profession traditionally has viewed clinical experience as being a prerequisite to graduate education. This career path results in fewer individuals completing the doctorate at an earlier stage in their career, thereby truncating their productivity as academics, researchers, and administrators. To reverse this trend, many nursing schools have developed programs that admit students into graduate (doctorate and master's) programs directly from their undergraduate or master's programs.

Nursing Research

When nurses do research for their doctorates, many people tend to think that it focuses primarily on nurses and nursing care. In reality, nurses carry out clinical research in a variety of areas, such as diabetes care, cancer care, and eating disorders. 

In the last thirty years, advances in medicine have involved, for the most part, advancing treatment not cures. In other words, no cure for the illness has been discovered, but treatment for that illness has improved. However, sometimes the treatment itself causes problems for patients, such as the unwelcome side effects of chemotherapy. Nurses have opportunities to devise solutions to problems like these through research, such as studies on how to manage the illness and its treatment, thereby allowing individuals to lead happy and productive lives.

The Curricula

Doctoral programs in nursing are aimed at preparing students for careers in health administration, education, clinical research, and advanced clinical practice. Basically, doctoral programs prepare nurses to be experts within the profession, prepared to assume leadership roles in a variety of academic and clinical settings, course work and research, students are trained as researchers and scholars to tackle complex health-care questions. Program emphasis may vary from a focus on health education to a concentration on policy research. The majority of doctoral programs confer the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree, but some award the Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS), and the Doctor of Education (EdD).

Doctoral nursing programs traditionally offer courses on the history and philosophy of nursing and the development and testing of nursing and other healthcare techniques, as well as the social, economic, political, and ethical issues important to the field. Data management and research methodology are also areas of instruction. Students are expected to work individually on research projects and complete a dissertation.

Doctoral programs allow study on a full- or part-time basis. For graduate students who are employed and therefore seek flexibility in their schedules, many programs offer courses on weekends and in the evenings.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements for doctoral programs vary. Generally, a master's degree is necessary, but in some schools a master's degree is completed in conjunction with fulfillment of the doctoral degree requirements. Standard requirements include an RN license, Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores, college transcripts, letters of recommendation, and an essay. Students applying for doctoral-level study should have a solid foundation in nursing and an interest in research. Programs are usually the equivalent of three to five years of full-time study.

Selecting a Doctoral Program

Selecting a doctoral program comes down to personal choice. Students work closely with professors, and, thus, the support and mentoring you receive while pursuing your degree is as vital as the quality of the facilities. The most important question is whether there is a "match" between your research interest and faculty research. Many of the same questions you would ask about baccalaureate and master's degree programs apply to doctoral programs. However, in a doctoral program, the contact with professors, the use of research equipment and facilities, and the program's flexibility in allowing you to choose your course of study are critical.

Some questions to consider asking include: Are there opportunities to present research findings at professional meetings? Is scholarship of faculty, alumni, and students presented at regional and national nursing meetings and subsequently published? Has the body of research done at a university enhanced the knowledge of nursing and health care?

Other questions to consider include: Does the university consider research a priority? Does the university have adequate funding for student research? Many nurses with doctorate degrees make the natural transition into an academic career, but there are many other career options available for nurses prepared at this level. For example, nurses prepared at the doctoral level are often hired by large consulting firms to work with others in designing solutions to health-care delivery problems. Others are hired by large hospital chains to manage various divisions, and some nurses with doctorate degrees are hired to manage complex healthcare systems at the executive level. On another front, they conduct research and formulate national and international healthcare policy. In short, because of the high level of education and a shortage of nurses prepared at this level, there are a number of options.

Salaries are related to the various positions.  Faculty salaries vary by the type of institution and by faculty rank, typically ranging from approximately $80,000 at the assistant professor level to over $115,000 at the professor level.  Salaries of nurse executives also vary, with the lowest salaries being in small rural hospitals and the highest being in complex university medical centers. Consultant salaries are wide ranging but often consist of a base plus some percentage of work contracted. Clinical and research positions vary considerably by the type of institution and the nature of the work.  Needless to say, a doctoral education does provide individuals with a wide range of opportunities, with salaries commensurate with the type and level of responsibilities. 

DNP vs PhD in Nursing: Which Is Better for Me?

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If you’re considering pursuing a doctoral program in nursing, should you enter a PhD program or a DNP program? Both are doctoral degree programs that will allow you to advance your knowledge of the nursing field, but they offer unique career opportunities including nursing education, research, advanced practice nursing, or leadership. Keep reading to determine the best nursing program for you depending on your career aspirations!

What is a DNP Degree?

A DNP nursing degree stands for Doctor of Nursing Practice. It’s a degree that allows you to advance your clinical practice skills while furthering your nursing education. A DNP degree is a terminal degree, which means there’s no direct advanced training you can receive after finishing this degree. You could choose to return to pursue a nursing PhD, but a PhD is the same degree level as a DNP degree.

Unlike a PhD which focuses on research, students pursuing a DNP degree receive additional education in evidence-based practice methods, quality improvement, and systems leadership, among other areas.

At UCF, we offer three DNP degree programs:

• Nurse Practitioner, including Family Nurse Practitioner , Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner , and Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner tracks
• Nurse Executive
• Advanced Practice

How Long Does it Take To Get a DNP Degree?

A DNP degree is the end of a long educational path for a nursing doctoral student. Nurses typically start by obtaining their RN license through either an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) degree or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Getting an ASN degree typically takes two years, while a BSN degree takes four years to obtain.

After receiving their degree and beginning to practice nursing as an RN, nurses seeking to obtain an DNP can continue to go to nursing school with two options. First, they can first pursue a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. An MSN degree can take anywhere from one and a half to four years to complete, depending on whether nursing students are pursuing the degree full- or part-time and their level of education upon entering the program. RN to MSN programs and direct-entry MSN programs (MSN programs for nurses with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree) take longer, while BSN to MSN programs may only take one and a half to two years. A nursing professional with an MSN degree can work as a nurse educator or a nurse practitioner, among other career options. After completing an MSN degree, students can return to school to complete a post-MSN DNP program. Those programs generally take two to four years to complete beyond the MSN degree.

A second option is BSN to DNP programs, which skip the MSN degree. These programs typically take three to four years to complete. Additionally, 1,000 post-BSN clinical hours are required for any nurse obtaining a DNP degree.

The option you choose depends upon the career path you wish to pursue. For example, to become a nurse practitioner, you would choose a BSN to DNP program. For other career goals, it may make more sense to pursue your DNP degree by first obtaining an MSN degree.

Nurses with a DNP degree have access to a wealth of advanced nursing roles and positions, including clinical and non-clinical roles. Nurses wanting to continue their clinical practice might have jobs including nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, or nurse midwives. They might be primary care providers or specialty providers, and they can provide evidence-based practice in inpatient or outpatient settings. Typically, nurses continuing to work in clinical settings at this level have a lot of autonomy, and they don’t require much supervision from other healthcare providers due to their strong clinical knowledge base.

Non-clinical roles in the nursing field could include a career in nursing leadership, administrative nursing, or education. They might be a nursing instructor, Chief Nursing Officer, or nursing home administrator, or they could go into public health nursing. While they may still work in a clinical setting, like a hospital or clinic, their job duties will be non-clinical. DNP nurses could also work in a variety of settings that aren’t clinical, including for a health insurance company, pharmaceutical company, or medical supply company.

What is a PhD in Nursing?

Like DNP programs, a nurse PhD program is typically pursued by a nurse who has already obtained their MSN degree. It can take four to six additional years of schooling to get a PhD in nursing degree. Unlike a DNP program, however, a PhD in nursing program doesn’t require clinical hours, so students can take courses full time if they’re looking for a shorter path to get their degree.

Some programs, including UCF’s online nursing PhD program, offer a BSN to PhD option that allows nurses to obtain their PhD in nursing without completing an MSN program first. This can also help an aspiring nurse scholar to obtain their PhD and start a fulfilling career in the field of nursing as quickly as possible in as little as four and a half years.

What Does a Nurse Do With a PhD?

A PhD-prepared nurse has a variety of career options available to them. Typically, nurses with their PhD don’t work in clinical settings. Instead, they might work in a leadership role at a university, in a laboratory, in public policy, or for a research institution. Due to their vast knowledge in nursing, these nurses might work as nurse scientists, nurse researchers, nursing professors, or in governmental positions. There are many career paths available to PhD-trained nurses, but some typical job responsibilities for these nurses include teaching, research, and writing proposals and health policy.

DNP vs PhD Career Opportunities

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that roles filled by nurses with DNP degrees will grow anywhere from 32–45% by 2029, depending on the position. Since PhD-educated nurses work so many different roles, it’s difficult to quantify their expected job growth, but nursing careers across the board are in high demand . In a survey of nursing schools performed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing , schools reported an average nurse faculty vacancy rate of 8.8%. This shortage is preventing nursing programs from accepting qualified students; in 2021 alone, 91,938 nursing school applicants were turned away due to insufficient faculty. Both DNP- and PhD-educated nurses have excellent job prospects.

DNP vs PhD Salary

Typically, nurses with a DNP degree have a higher annual salary than those with their PhD. That’s in part due to the settings in which they work; since DNPs often practice clinically and see patients, they have a higher earning capacity than nurses in higher education or governmental positions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics , DNP-prepared nurses make a median salary of about $123,000 per year, with nurses trained as nurse anesthetists earning the highest average salary. Nurses with their PhD who work in teaching positions earn an average of $77,440 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics . Nurse researchers earn a median wage of $81,500 a year according to PayScale .

Deciding Between a DNP and a PhD in Nursing

All nurses start in the same place—with an RN license—but where they end up varies based on the continued education they pursue. For those wanting to obtain the highest level of nursing education possible, there are two ways to earn a doctorate degree in nursing—a DNP degree program or a PhD in nursing program. Which doctoral degree is best for you depends on your career goals, clinical experience, and areas of passion.

Nurses passionate about the clinical practice of nursing may prefer a DNP degree, since clinical hours are a key element of this degree, even if they don’t practice clinically their entire career. Nurses more interested in teaching, research, or changing the field of nursing as a whole may prefer a PhD track, which focuses more on scientific knowledge and the theoretical foundations of nursing. Some nurses choose to obtain both their DNP and PhD degrees in nursing, giving them greater flexibility and the most advanced nursing knowledge.

Whatever Educational Path You Choose, UCF Has an Online Program To Get You There

Our online nursing program has core courses on nursing theory, scientific writing, and healthcare research to prepare you for a leadership position in a stimulating nursing career.

For those seeking a PhD in nursing degree, UCF offers two online degree options—a BSN to PhD track and an MSN to PhD track. We welcome students with various educational backgrounds working to achieve common goals.

If you’re interested in a DNP degree, UFC offers specialized options based on whether you intend to practice clinically or lead the field of nursing in a non-clinical role. Our online DNP Advanced Practice track prepares practicing nurses for engaging, rewarding clinical careers, while our DNP Nurse Executive track supports innovative, creative nursing students as they take on non-clinical leadership roles.

For students seeking to become a nurse practitioner, UCF also offers hybrid classroom-online BSN to DNP degree nurse practitioner programs in primary care, acute care, and family nurse practitioner.

UCF’s Online Nursing Degrees

• Healthcare Simulation
• Hispanic Serving Healthcare Professionals
• Nursing Education
• Nursing Practice, DNP, Advanced Track
• Nursing Practice, DNP, Executive Track
• Nursing, BS
• Nursing, MSN
• Nursing, PhD

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Home / Nursing Articles / NP, DNP, and Ph.D. in Nursing: How High-Level Nursing Salaries Compare to MD Salaries in 2022

NP, DNP, and Ph.D. in Nursing: How High-Level Nursing Salaries Compare to MD Salaries in 2022

Nurse practitioner (np) salaries, doctor of nursing practice (dnp) salaries, doctor of philosophy in nursing (ph.d.) salaries, medical doctor (md) salaries.

So, you've decided to enter a medical career – congratulations. While money is not and should not be your sole concerning factor in choosing a career, it is an important consideration. Earning potential and average salary figures can sometimes help you decide between different types of qualifications in the healthcare field. Many students who know they want to enter a highly advanced career in medicine may wonder what the difference in salary is for some of the roles that require lengthy educational programs. It is important to note that salaries offered can vary far more greatly than you might imagine.

Learn more about the differences between NPs, MDs, and more

Let's first look at the Nurse Practitioner (NP) salary ranges . According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' most recent report (from 2023), the median average salary for a nurse practitioner was $128,490 annually, while the average hourly rate was $61.78. The lowest 10% of earners were reported to have an average salary of $94,530 (hourly $45.45) while the highest earners enjoyed salaries in the region of $168,030 ($80.79 per hour). NP salaries also vary depending on the working environment and geographical location, of course.

Top salaries for nurse practitioners are in business support roles with an average salary of $180,570 and $86.81 per hour. Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities come in second at $158,140 salaried, and $76.03 hourly. Thirdly, Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations land at $153,580 and $73.84, respectively.

The three top paying states for NPs in the U.S. are California, Nevada, and Washington.

A Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) enjoys a higher rate of pay compared to an MSN-prepared nurse practitioner or RN due to the more intense education and medical responsibilities required. The average pay of a DNP-prepared nurse is $117,859 annually or $57 hourly, which is slightly higher than the mean average pay of all nurse practitioners. Some self-reports on Salary.com state base pay at just over $130k.

Along with higher pay, DNP graduates enjoy a range of career opportunities that are not always open to nurse practitioners. The top-paying job roles include anesthetists at $205,770 per year, neurology nursing at $136,250, and oncology nursing at $146,726 per year.

Across the United States, Washington ($135,678), New York ($127,631), and Idaho ($123,662) pay the highest.

An important distinction between a Doctor of Nursing Philosophy and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP): the DNP is designed to help the student enter clinical practice, typically in a specialty area of nursing. A nursing Ph.D. is designed for research and academia-minded individuals.

That said, pay is slightly lower in academia generally – not just in medical research and teaching. Therefore, you can expect to earn a salary of around $99,000 with a nursing Ph.D.

Entry-level pay is around $34.48 hourly or roughly $71,720 annually. Those with over ten years' experience enjoy average pay of $112,600 per year or $54.13 hourly. If you have over 20 years of experience, your pay is likely to be in the region of $135,010 yearly or $64.91 hourly.

While academia has the lowest pay in the medical arena, medical doctors or physicians enjoy the highest rates of pay. Generally, those who hold medical doctorates will become family and general practitioners working in clinics and hospitals. Their average pay according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is $248,640 per year.

As with any other job, pay rates will be further determined by state and region. Currently, the top-paying states in the U.S. for family practitioners are North Dakota, which pays $351,270 annually; Wyoming, at $339,540 annually; and South Carolina at $326,530 annually.

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Doctoral programmes in the nursing discipline: a scoping review

Beata dobrowolska.

1 Department of Holistic Care and Management in Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Staszica Str. 4-6, Lublin, Poland

Paweł Chruściel

2 Department of Nursing Development, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Staszica Str. 4-6, Lublin, Poland

Anna Pilewska-Kozak

3 Department of Gynaecology and Gynaecological Endocrinology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Staszica Str. 4-6, Lublin, Poland

Violetta Mianowana

Marta monist.

4 2nd Department of Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego Str. 8, Lublin, Poland

Alvisa Palese

5 Department of Medical Sciences, University of Udine, Viale Ungheria, 20, 33100 Udine, Italy

Associated Data

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.

This study aimed to map and summarise the state of the research regarding doctoral programs in nursing, as well as the issues debated in the context of nursing doctoral education. A Scoping Review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis extension scoping reviews statement (PRISMA-ScR) was conducted. Three electronic bibliographic data bases were searched: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature Complete, Medline (on EBSCO Host) and SCOPUS to identify empirical studies published between January 2009 and December 2019. The review process was based on framework identified by Arksey and O’Malley and further revised by Levac and colleagues. Analysis was performed with the use of the Donabedian framework regarding the structure of the doctorate programmes, the process, and the outcomes.

The review included 41 articles, mostly originating in the United States ( n =26) and Europe ( n =8), mainly by collecting the perceptions of students and faculty members with descriptive studies. The following issues were investigated at the (a) structure level: Prerequisite for doctoral candidates , Qualifications of faculty members , Mission of doctoral programs ; (b) process level: Doctoral programs contents, Doctoral programs resources and quality, Mentoring and supervision, Doing doctorate abroad ; and (c) outcome level: Academic performance outcomes in doctoral programs, Doctoral graduates’ competences, Doctoral students/graduates’ satisfaction, Doctoral graduates’ challenges.

Conclusions

Doctoral programs have mainly been investigated to date with descriptive studies, suggesting more robust research investigating the effectiveness of strategies to prepare future scientists in the nursing discipline. Doctorates are different across countries, and there is no visible cooperation of scholars internationally; their structure and processes have been reported to be stable over the years, thus not following the research development in nursing, discipline and practice expectations. Moreover, no clear framework of outcomes in the short- and long-term have been established to date to measure the quality and effectiveness of doctorate education. National and global strategies might establish common structure, process and outcome frameworks, as well as promote robust studies that are capable of assessing the effectiveness of this field of education.

The doctoral education of nurses has been reported across the world to follow different traditions; as it was not previously possible to obtain a doctorate in the nursing discipline, nurses have been doctoral-educated in disciplines other than nursing [ 1 ]. In some countries, such as the United States (US), nurses have been allowed to obtain a doctorate in education since the early 20th century [ 1 – 3 ]; however, doctoral programmes were reported to become nursing-oriented in the 1970 s [ 4 ]. In other countries, for example Nordic ones, nursing doctoral programs started to operate a few decades later [ 5 ], while in others, for example Slovenia, this was just a couple of years ago, also as an effect of Bologna Process across Europe re-designing the educational cycles [ 6 , 7 ]. There is no doubt that doctoral-prepared nurses performing research are crucial [ 8 , 9 ] and they are required to have an effective scientific education [ 7 , 10 , 11 ].

In recent years, doctoral education in nursing has gained increased attention; a growing number of nurses have been reported to be engaged in doctoral studies [ 3 , 5 , 11 , 12 ] due to the need for high quality clinical nursing practice, nursing education and science [ 13 , 14 ]. Nevertheless, the trend of ageing of faculty nurses and their shortage has been debated for over 40 years [ 15 – 17 ] and different options have been discussed to increase the number of doctoral-educated nurses [ 15 , 16 , 18 ].

Moreover, different roles of doctoral-educated nurses have been documented in academia and in clinical settings [ 19 ] and challenges regarding competition in the ‘scientific market’ have been underlined, suggesting that the nursing discipline must be strengthened and recognised in high quality publications [ 9 ]. Therefore, while nurses with a doctorate are expected to be engaged in research projects [ 8 ], they are also expected to improve the quality of nursing care by changing the education and practice; thus, they are facing multiple expectations [ 19 , 20 ]. As a consequence, nursing scholars and leaders are looking for options to develop doctoral studies into the most effective way.

In this context, many primary studies have been published to date (e.g. [ 10 , 12 , 19 , 21 ]). However, the available studies have never been summarised in an accessible document that could inform future actions regarding the development of doctoral programmes. Therefore, summarising the state of the art of the research in this field, as well as the issues debated in the context of nursing doctoral education, are the main aims of this scoping review.

An overview of doctoral education in nursing

There are many different nursing doctoral programs across the world, with different solutions regarding titles, the curriculum, competences and career possibilities. Even within a single country, these programs are different and, as highlighted by McKenna et al. [ 7 ], most of them have not included any cross-country collaboration regarding research lines and the curricula. In several countries, for example the US and the UK, two doctorate profiles have been established: the Doctor of Nursing practice (DNP), defined as a clinical or professional doctorate, and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), defined as a research doctorate. They have different aims regarding the discipline and practice development: a PhD is research-focused, whereas a DNP is focused on preparing future clinical leaders by guiding evidence-based nursing practice; in the US, it is required as an entry level for advanced nursing practice (ANP) [ 20 , 22 – 26 ]. Discussions regarding what competences these programmes should ensure and what paradigm should be established when educating nurses on doctoral studies are still open [ 20 ]. Moreover, the development of collaborations between these two traditions of education has been underlined with the intent to promote the quality of care [ 27 , 28 ].

Even though the number of doctoral-prepared nurses is increasing, difficulties in recruiting nurses to doctoral programs have been documented [ 29 ]. Firstly, nurses are more attracted to gaining clinical experience and becoming faculty members later; additionally, there are some barriers to entry into doctoral education, for example heavy nursing care workloads, high competition, and modest salaries. Moreover, other barriers are also set in the following stage, with regard to being recruited and remaining in the faculty: despite the great demand for nurses in the faculty, those who are already appointed have been reported to have high burnout and an intention to leave the position [ 30 , 31 ], as well as due to the excessive pressure regarding publications, projects, and grants [ 17 ]. Additionally, while some countries have established the requirement that nursing departments must recruit staff with a research-doctorate (e.g., the US, Australia, China, South-East Asia), others, such as the UK, are still in continuing transition, employing nurses at the university level, without PhDs, and some are even employed without master’s level qualifications [ 32 ].

Different innovations have been discussed in order to prevent the lack of nursing scholars, such as establishing new pathways to obtain doctorates, allowing new graduates to access the doctorate programme directly after the BNS (Bachelor in Nursing Science) or a pre-baccalaureate to the PhD programme with individually tailored curricula [ 16 , 18 , 33 ]. Even though this option is criticised by some academics because of a lack of clinical experience before entry to doctoral programs [ 18 ], such candidates are young and may have a longer career as researchers, which is important when considering predictions regarding retirement trends among the faculty [ 18 ].

In addition to the above-mentioned factors, some researchers (e.g. Mckenna et al. [ 7 ]) also discussed the quality of doctoral programs. An urgent need to change these programs to support the advancement of nursing science has been stated [ 10 ]. Moreover, the need to enrich nursing doctorate education with knowledge of other disciplines, e.g., humanistic, social or biological sciences [ 34 , 35 ], as well as in quantitative methods [ 8 ], have been solicited. Given that research findings must be published to inform developments of the nursing discipline, different methods are under discussion regarding the dissemination of doctoral dissertations [ 36 ] and increased popularity has been achieved by using the manuscript dissertation format [ 37 ].

The post-doctorate programme is also debated: McNelis et al. [ 12 ] reported that nursing doctoral students have not been prepared for the academic role, specifically for teaching; while Bullin [ 19 ] also added considered their competences in implementing innovative methods in education, suggesting that they require additional preparation though a revision of the curriculum [ 12 ]. Moreover, the roles of doctoral-prepared nurses in clinical settings are also discussed. Andreassen and Christensen [ 38 ] highlighted that those nurses holding a doctorate should change their practice, functioning as a leader in incorporating the evidence in the clinical field. However, experienced clinical nurses with doctorates have been documented to encounter several challenges when they start working in academia [ 17 ] suggesting that a clear career strategy should be developed for those willing to stay in a clinical setting.

A scoping review has been performed by following the available frameworks [ 39 , 40 ] in the following steps: (1) research question identification; (2) relevant studies identification; (3) studies selection; (4) data charting; and (5) results collation, summary and report. Specifically, methods and findings have been reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis extension-Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) statement [ 41 ].

Research questions

The following research questions were addressed: (a) What is the state of the research in the nursing field regarding the doctorate programmes, and (b) what are the main issues debated to date in the available literature?

Studies identification

A comprehensive electronic database literature search was conducted in January 2020. The Boolean operator AND was used with combinations of search terms including the following: PhD/doctorate in nursing, competence and career pathways. The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Complete, Medline (on EBSCO Host), and SCOPUS were searched to identify articles published between January 2009 and December 2019. This period was chosen considering two main reasons: (a) the availability of a previous review regarding doctoral nursing students’ persistence and the challenges faced by them, covering sources published between 1985 and 2011 [ 42 ], and (b) the Bologna Process regulating education cycles across Europe that has reached its 20 year anniversary in 2019: specifically, 2010 was the year which was established as the aim of European Higher Education Area development [ 6 ].

Articles written in English, peer-reviewed, with an available abstract, and reporting both primary (qualitative, quantitative and mix-methods), and secondary (systematic reviews and meta-analysis) data were included. A total of 1412 records were identified; after screening and eligibility analysis, 41 articles were deemed eligible (Fig.  1 ). Therefore, articles not meeting these criteria and those focused only on problems and the situation of faculty members with a doctorate (e.g. [ 31 ]), were not included.

Flow diagram search and selection process of scoping review [ 41 , 62 ].

At the first level, titles and abstracts were screened by two researchers independently and then the findings were discussed. In the second phase, the eligible studies were evaluated through full texts in an independent fashion by two researchers; when these satisfied the inclusion criteria and the researchers agreed, the study was included. In cases of disagreement, other researchers engaged in the analysis were contacted, and when agreement was reached the study was included or excluded.

Data charting

The following data expressing the characteristics of studies were extracted from each included study: (1) author(s); (2) publication year; (3) country; (4) study aim(s); (5) method(s) and research design; (6) participants (when available); and (7) main findings relevant to the aim of our study. The grid was piloted among five studies and then used for all included articles. Two authors independently assessed and extracted the data and agreed upon the findings. Discrepancies were discussed with other researchers.

Results collation, summary and report

In line with the two-fold research questions, the included studies were considered analytically according to their main features: first, the main characteristics of the studies were summarised, and then, with regards to the second aim, issues were categorised according to the Donabedian [ 43 ] framework for issues regarding the structure of the doctorate programmes, the process, and the outcomes. Under the structure component, we categorised the prerequisite for doctoral candidates, their motivation, the qualifications of the faculty members, the organisation of the doctoral programs, and the mission of the programme. Under the Process component, we included doctoral programme implementation, strategies and methods used in education, and interactions between the faculty, the doctoral students, and other stakeholders. Under the outcomes component, the results of doctoral programs documented at different levels (e.g., doctoral graduates, nursing as a discipline, doctoral students) were categorised. In some cases, difficulties were found in categorisation, as overlap exists between the three main categories. Two researchers categorised the main findings according to the Donabedian model [ 43 ] and other researchers resolved inconsistencies. At each stage of the analysis, considering the Donabedian model, differences between doctoral programs, if any, were highlighted and reported.

What is the state of the research in the nursing field regarding the doctorate programmes?

As reported in Table  1 , the included articles mainly represent four continents: North America ( n =27) [ 2 , 3 , 8 , 10 – 13 , 15 – 20 , 27 , 28 , 30 , 33 , 36 , 37 , 44 , 49 – 54 ]; Europe ( n =8). [ 5 , 7 , 24 , 25 , 35 , 38 , 48 , 57 ], Asia ( n =4) [ 14 , 46 , 47 , 55 ], and Australia [ 21 ]. Two are multi-country studies [ 5 , 45 ], and most studies originated in the USA ( n =26; [ 2 , 3 , 8 , 10 – 13 , 15 – 18 , 20 , 27 , 28 , 30 , 33 , 36 , 37 , 44 , 49 – 54 ]). Most of the studies were published in the last 6 years ( n =28; [ 3 , 5 , 8 , 10 – 17 , 19 – 21 , 27 , 28 , 30 , 33 , 35 – 38 , 45 , 48 , 54 – 57 ], with 11 in 2019 [ 3 , 5 , 11 , 12 , 17 , 20 , 27 , 35 , 36 , 56 , 57 ].

Characteristics of the included studies

The majority of studies used a quantitative approach ( n =20; [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 10 , 11 , 13 – 15 , 18 , 30 , 35 , 37 , 44 , 45 , 49 , 50 , 52 – 54 ]), while others applied a qualitative ( n =15; [ 12 , 17 , 20 , 24 , 25 , 28 , 33 , 35 , 38 , 46 , 47 , 51 , 55 – 57 ]) or mix-methods design ( n =3; [ 8 , 16 , 21 ]). Only one integrative review emerged [ 19 ] along with two case analyses ( n =2; [ 27 , 48 ]).

Most of the studies referred to PhD programmes ( n =22) [ 5 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 19 , 21 , 30 , 33 , 35 – 38 , 47 – 49 , 51 , 53 , 55 , 57 ], with DNP analysed in 5 cases [ 2 , 25 , 44 , 50 , 56 ], while both programs were tackled in nine studies [ 3 , 12 , 13 , 15 , 17 , 20 , 27 , 28 , 54 ]; in addition, some articles have shown research regarding doctoral programs without specifying its kind ( n =5) [ 7 , 24 , 45 , 46 , 52 ]. The majority ( n =35) of studies investigated the experience and expectations of students/faculty members/directors of doctoral programmes and deans, ANPs with PhDs by involving between three [ 48 ] and 1,668 participants [ 45 ], with a total of 7,159 participants in all 35 studies. Of the remaining, three studies have analysed doctoral programmes (with the number of programmes analysed from 56 to 120, e.g. [ 10 , 37 , 49 ], the thesis produced ( n =61, [ 35 ]), examples of collaboration ( n =4, [ 27 ]) and studies published regarding PhD requirements ( n =139, [ 19 ])).

What are the main issues debated in the available literature to date?

Structure level: (1) prerequisite for doctoral candidates.

Two main issues emerged: regarding the admission criteria of doctoral programs and the doctoral candidates’ criteria/motivations for choosing the programme. Admission criteria for doctoral candidates have been documented as different: for example, Squires et al. [ 18 ], in the case of direct entry PhD programs from a bachelor’s degree, reported a requirement of at least one year of clinical experience as a registered nurse. The number of required clinical hours before the admission to the DNP has been documented to range between 0 and 1,000 [ 44 ]. Specifically, DNP programs do not require additional practice hours for supplementing previous master’s-level supervised clinical hours. However, 20 % of programs reported having a separate clinical course, 26 % reported an end-of-programme practice immersion experience, and 38 % required both a supplemental and end-of-programme immersion experience [ 44 ].

In the study conducted by Squires et al. [ 18 ] for direct entry PhD programs from a bachelor’s degree, a graduate level statistics course, an admission interview, and the Grade Point Averages (GPA) were also reported. Megginson [ 49 ] investigated the admission criteria in PhD nursing programs and documented that the GPA was required in 100 % of cases, set-up mostly at 3.0 as a minimum; moreover, 82 % of analysed US programs also considered the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores during the admission decision. Furthermore, one or more examples of writing (e.g., the scholarly project), a letter of recommendation (by a Professor), the applicants’ interviews and the research line matching that of the faculty have been also reported.

On the side of the candidates, the decision to enter a doctoral programme (both PhD and DNP) has been underlined as being affected by financial aspects and funding availability [ 15 , 16 ]. Specifically, three aspects have been reported as crucial [ 15 ]: (a) paying for education, (b) returning investments in the future, and (c) impacting future salary. When choosing the programme, respondents have been documented to consider what would best fit to their busy life [e.g., a hybrid form of education with online courses], but also the time available and that requested [e.g., for degree completion – which has been reported to be more important in the case of DNP than PhD]. Time has been considered as one of the three main barriers identified for bachelor/master/DNP students to start a PhD [ 18 ]. The other two barriers are costs and the issue of experience, as students want to gain clinical experience before entering the programme. However, 69 % of students sampled indicated that they would consider a PhD directly after their current programme of study [ 18 ].

Choosing a professional doctorate or not has been reported to be influenced by the information available to the potential candidates; students chose a PhD as they were not aware of the DNP [ 24 ]. According to a study performed in China [ 14 ], the majority of PhD students have been reported to pursue a doctorate according to their career plan (73 %) and to improve their research abilities (53.9 %). Science passion and motivation to work for nursing discipline development, and through science for the improvement of quality of life, was also reported among BNS/BS–PhD students. However, their challenge was the lack of experience in clinical practice. This has been reported as the nursing identity threat mostly due to the opinions of “older” nurses, and also challenged their future career prospects in case they were not productive as scientists. Moreover, their life is challenged because they are the youngest students in doctoral programs and are also dealing with financial and family responsibilities [ 33 ].

Structure level: (2) Qualifications of faculty members

The profile of faculty teaching in DNP and PhD programs has been documented as different [ 13 ]. Those staff who teach DNP students are more likely to have DNP degrees and be engaged in clinical practice, whereas lecturers with a PhD usually teach PhD students and are more likely to be engaged in research activities with students while mentoring research and supervising doctoral candidates or postdoctoral fellows. However, in a study among the deans of those nursing schools offering DNPs, only one of the 33 institutions with previous PhD and DNP students reported no faculty overlap [ 50 ].

Structure level: (3) Mission of doctoral programs

McKenna et al. [ 7 ] documented that staff members are more likely than students to agree that the emphasis of the doctoral curriculum should be consistent with the mission of the university and the discipline of nursing. Considering the growing popularity of DNP programs, e.g., in the US, divisions between PhD and DNP have been documented to be at need of discussion regarding further development and the aim of these programs [ 20 ]. Staffileno et al. [ 28 ] reported that DNP and PhD students have difficulties cooperating due to different ‘languages’ and the challenges involved in understanding the role of this new degree. However, the importance of promoting collaboration between PhD and DNP students has been underlined, and it is often an issue associated with the personal characteristics of individuals involved rather than an issue related to the type of degree. Specifically, PhD and DNP students can collaborate within the course and as graduates, e.g., DNP students have a clinical perspective, so they know the correct research question to ask, whereas PhD students have methodological knowledge and know how to ask questions. Moreover, PhD students/graduates may help DNPs to get financial support and grants when they experience difficulties, and they can mentor DNP in their scientific work [ 28 ]. In the context of cooperation between academia and clinical practice, Cygan and Reed [ 27 ] have provided an example where academia nurses and clinical nurses shared the complementary skills that they have in order to prepare projects to be scientifically and practically relevant.

Process level (1) Doctoral programs contents

There is a plethora of different subjects in nursing doctoral programs: in a US study regarding research-focused doctoral programs, all of those under investigation included statistics/quantitative design, philosophy/theory development and qualitative methods. However, only 55 % of programs showed evidence of including a nursing inquiry [ 10 ]. According to Minnick et al. [ 50 ], around 81 % of DNP programs in the US have been reported to require research courses, 79 % require clinical practice, with more BNS-DNP than MSN (Master’s degree)-DNP programs, and only 5 % require teaching practice. Regarding other issues related to doctoral student qualifications, 43.3 % of programs included research ethics, 55.8 % education/teaching, 50 % policy and 36.7 % leadership contents. A little difference between programs from 30 years ago, and those available at the time of the study have emerged, also suggesting that programs do not respond to research priorities [ 10 ].

Students have been reported to assess doctoral programs different to the faculty. In McKenna et al. [ 7 ], staff members reported that each student had relevant ethical training in preparation for undertaking research, and that they had provided students with diverse and challenging learning experiences (e.g., social, ethical, cultural, economic and political issues related to nursing, health care and research). On their part, students have reported disagreement with such statements.

Nursing PhD students have been reported to need more practice secondary data for analysis using large data sets, biomedical informatics data interpretation, and an understanding of applied machine learning algorithms. They also required more in-depth statistical courses [ 8 ]. Additionally, PhD students have highlighted that learning scholarly writing is more effective when you have someone to explain it (expert-faculty to guide) and when the support system in this scope is established [ 51 ].

Process level (2) Doctoral programs resources and quality

Having research support for students has been highlighted as important for doctoral education. In a US study, among the deans of nursing schools offering a doctoral degree, 75 % have reported offering a research office to increase the amount of external funding, to promote scholarly work including publications, and collaboration with other disciplines. In this line, grant development, assembly, budget development, research seminars and statistical consultation were the most activities performed by the office [ 52 ].

However, the resources and quality of the doctoral programmes are not always perceived homogeneously from the side of the faculty and the students. In a study involving seven countries, both faculty and students/graduates have rated the overall quality of nursing doctoral education as good to excellent. The highest average score was reported for the faculty domain. In all countries surveyed, the faculty assessed the quality higher than students/graduates in three out of four domains (namely: programme, faculty and evaluation) [ 45 ]. In contrast, in a single country study involving UK doctoral students and faculty, students assessed the quality of doctoral programs higher than faculty members. However, students did not agree that the environment and resources available, such as financial support, time allocated by staff to support students, and level of the technical support, were of an appropriate quality [ 7 ].

Strengths and weaknesses in the quality of doctorate programmes have been documented in a Korean study where the strengths included faculty research productivity, the application of new research methods, students’ diverse backgrounds and interdisciplinary courses. Among the weaknesses were the aging faculty, decreased number of candidates for doctoral study, and a lack of funding support for research [ 46 ].

In addition to the above-mentioned aspects of quality, doctoral programme quality indicators have also been reported in the doctoral comprehensive/qualifying examinations. Mawn and Goldberg [ 53 ] investigated research-focused doctoral programs, and reported different methods for such examination, ranging from the written take-home test to a written publishable paper with follow-up oral defence of the paper.

Process level (3) Mentoring and supervision

According to some authors [ 3 , 16 , 21 ], mentoring is very important in directing research during a doctoral programme (both PhD and DNP). Mentoring relationships have mostly been focused on the pursuit of scientific inquiry, the transfer of knowledge, facilitating research activities and developing research partnerships [ 19 ]. However, there are different expectations when mentoring doctoral students according to the degree programme. In the case of PhD students, faculty mentors are expected to hold a PhD, be engaged in research, publish articles, and have an overall scientific portfolio. In the case of DNP students, faculty mentors must hold a doctoral degree (DNP or PhD), be active clinical practitioners (e.g., ANPs) and have experience as a mentor in specific topics such as quality improvement and patient safety [ 3 ]. However, in a UK study, it was found that supervisors did not distinguish between the needs of professional doctorates and PhD students and reported the same expectations regarding research [ 25 ].

To be effective, mentors of doctoral students should be trained; also, the number of students allocated to a single mentor is important, as is the time available and the students’ readiness for a degree [ 3 ]. Moreover, students’ readiness for a career has been documented as being greater when they have one or more mentor/advisor [ 11 ].

PhD students highlighted the importance of good supervision when doing doctorates, and most reported positive comments about their supervisors [ 21 ]. In the study by Lee [ 25 ], students of a professional doctorate programme have been reported to welcome a supervisor with a different background, who could develop their knowledge and skills and add new dimensions to their research, while supervisors were more likely to want to match their background with that of the students. From the perspective of supervisors, critical thinking, independence and autonomy in the supervision process have been highlighted, whereas students wanted help and support to further develop their critical thinking and writing skills. Students see supervision as a mutual relationship with mutual learning. Also, they wanted to use their practical expertise together with doctoral studies in order to generate knowledge for application in practice, rather than to only learn how to apply other evidence [ 25 ]. Moreover, PhD students reported positive experiences regarding the timing of feedback received from their supervisors, but they reported that this feedback was not always helpful and was often accompanied by conflicting expectations [ 21 ]. In a study of PhD and DNP students, stressors which significantly predicted students’ leaving the programme were primarily related to the relationship with the faculty/advisor [ 54 ].

Process level (4) Doing doctorate abroad

Doing a doctorate abroad has been documented as promoting learning independence and increasing the understanding of cultural differences [ 47 ]. Moreover, in a qualitative study of 17 students representing nine different countries from six different UK universities, the majority ( n =13) reported expecting greater focus on professional issues within their programme and were surprised at the almost exclusive emphasis on research. They expected to have more clinical training. Additionally, respondents highlighted the need to adapt to the self-directed autonomous nature of learning at a doctoral level, which was very difficult, as also reported previously [ 47 ].

Many foreign students noted that their educational backgrounds trained them to describe and replicate knowledge rather than create it. However, students have stated that it was good to find their own voice and articulate their own ideas [ 24 ]. Additionally, they indicated the enormous challenge of studying in English. When abroad, students described a strong need for support through supervisors, interactions with the department/institution and relationships with other students and wider social networks. Supervision has been reported to be different to that in students’ countries; they were supposed to be more independent in their work, and not told what to do, but supervisors were both approachable and friendly [ 24 ].

Struggling with loneliness, isolation and the cost of living in the UK have been also underlined. Most participants carried the weight of high expectations from their family, colleagues and sponsors on their shoulders, which, in some cases, clearly led to chronic anxiety about whether they would succeed [ 24 ].

Outcome levels (1) Academic performance outcomes in doctoral programs

Six common academic performance outcomes in nursing PhD programs have been identified to date: comprehensive examination (80 %), ongoing minimum graduate GPA (79 %) of 3.0, formal dissertation (82 %): chapter format (77 %); time to degree attainment (71 %); degree attainment (71 %); and time to candidacy (63 %) [ 49 ]. PhD programmes mostly end with a dissertation, while quality improvement projects and the translation of evidence-based practice have mostly been reported for DNPs [ 3 ].

With regards to the content of the thesis, Jensen [ 35 ] discovered that a few have been developed upon a nursing theory, whereas the majority of PhD graduates employed a traditional format for their dissertation, and over 40 % of them never published their dissertation findings in peer-reviewed journals [ 36 ]. In a study of 79 PhD programs in the US, 84 % offered the traditional format for dissertation and 71 % the manuscript option format, while 59 % offered both. The manuscript/publication format has been chosen as it may increase the transition of student nurse scholars to academic positions and provide preparation for the role. However, students with no academic writing skills are challenged; moreover, there is no agreement regarding the number of manuscripts and their status, and whether it should be already published, submitted or reviewed [ 37 ].

Regarding the doctorate duration, students who enter PhD programs as undergraduates have been reported to need less time cumulatively to finish a doctorate compared to those entering after a Master’s. However, on average, undergraduate students take longer to complete a PhD (from 5.2 to 5.9 years) in comparison to those who start a PhD after a Master’s education (from 5 to 5.1 years) [ 16 , 30 ]. With regards to the DNP, the average length of time for students to finish the MSN-DNP programme was 2.43 years, whilst BSN-DNP was 3.8 years [ 50 ]. Time for degree completion was more important for DNP than PhD students; family and job obligations interfered with studying and writing [ 15 ].

Outcome levels (2) Doctoral graduates’ competences

Findings from PhD and DNP students and recent graduates have reported a lack of preparation for faculty roles, specifically for teaching [ 12 ], as also reported by Nehls et al. [ 16 ] in PhD students with different entry paths. Graduates with a PhD have become both a required and preferred option for teaching positions in many universities; given that teaching generally occupies the majority of the faculty’s time, they have been reported to be inadequately prepared according to the priority given to research [ 19 ].

Despite these issues, Fang et al. [ 30 ] reported that the majority of PhD students at the end of the programme plan their academic career in teaching more than in research due to the interest in teaching and the perceived contribution of research to patient care. Interestingly, nearly half of students surveyed who had non-academic career plans at the beginning of the programme changed their mind during the doctoral study. Similar findings were documented by Bai et al. [ 14 ], who found that 60.7 % of PhD students want to work in an educational institution, especially reputable universities. Their desired field of work was nursing education in the majority (75.3 %) and the clinical setting in only a few (16.9 %).

In contrast, PhD students who entered a doctoral programme via an early entry pathway, such as pre-baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate, have been reported to more often choose a research career [ 16 ]. However, they have also noted concerns regarding their clinical competences [ 55 ]. In this context, PhD education has been recommended to develop their clinical competences in order to prepare them to provide the clinical educator role.

Moreover, some DNP graduates have been reported to come back to the doctoral programme to do a PhD [ 56 ]. Their decision was mostly motivated by wanting to know more, especially regarding translating research into practice and implementing research findings, but also with the social tension of not having skills or competences to apply for specific roles at the faculty level.

Outcome levels (3) Doctoral students/graduates’ satisfaction

Doctoral education has been reported to be worth the time commitment and the money invested; PhD students and graduates, more than their DNP colleagues, have been documented to believe that doctoral programs prepared them extremely well for research activity and faculty roles [ 15 ].

Outcome levels (4) Doctoral graduates challenges

In a qualitative study among the PhD and DNP-prepared faculty on tenure track in academia [ 17 ], the importance of the development of meaningful partnerships and continuity was reported. Also, the need to balance responsibilities was documented, as was having time for research, publications, and the management of administrative requests. Both PhD and DNP staff on the tenure track have reported hostile treatment and criticism by senior faculty members; however, ‘degree shaming’ has been reported more often by DNP staff. Despite this, many staff on the tenure track have also reported being valued and appreciated. Additionally, they showed the need to be mentored, supported and coached, specifically in more advanced research.

In Nicholes and Dyer [ 24 ], 61.3 % of the DNP faculty were eligible for tenure. However, there is a concern that they are not trained well enough for the research activity, which may influence the development of the nursing discipline.

In the case of PhD nurses who are APNs working in a clinical environment, even though they undertake several important roles for nursing practice development (such as clinical inquiry, research skills and changing practice), they have encountered challenges with integrating themselves into the team without the support of nursing leaders [ 48 ]. According to Orton et al. [ 57 ], RNs with a PhD in the clinical environment also experience challenges: they have been reported to want to change practice, but in doing this, they must face barriers. They have admitted that their motivation to lead the evidence-base practice is strong, but doing their own research was difficult, mostly because of the lack of time. They have often been assigned to the clinical education of nursing students, or to assist colleagues in developing knowledge and skills. Therefore, further role clarity is needed in clinical settings. Similar findings have been reported by Sørensen et al. [ 54 ] who surveyed nurses with PhDs working in Nordic university hospitals. They reported sharing their work time between research, teaching, supervision and administration given that the majority of them held positions shared between the university and the hospital. Moreover, Andreassen and Christensen [ 38 ] underlined the fact that nurses with a PhD working in clinical areas are seen by their colleagues and by themselves as those who implement research results into practice. They are seen as a resource of health care institutions; however, their position in clinical settings is uncertain.

We have performed a Scoping Review with the aim of assessing the state of the art and issues regarding doctoral programs of nurses. A significant number of studies have emerged in the last 10 years, mainly in the US and Europe, with a few examples of international approaches [ 5 , 45 ] suggesting an impulse in this direction. Moreover, studies are mainly quantitative and qualitative, where the experiences/expectations of students, doctorates and faculty members, as different groups (e.g. [ 3 ]) or integrated (e.g. [ 55 ]), have mainly been investigated. Therefore, the available evidence is mainly descriptive of different aspects of education, highlighting that more longitudinal or experimental [ 1 ] studies are needed in this field of research to investigate the effects of this education as well as its changes, in the long-term, from different points of view, including that of students, doctors and faculty members.

At the structural level of doctoral programs, a great variability of admission criteria has been documented to date, some regarding the academic preparation or potentialities (e.g., GPA, GRE, writing essay, [ 49 ]), and others regarding the attitudes and competences as either actual or potential, as certified with a letter of recommendation. An ample debate has also emerged regarding solutions concerning the minimum requirements of clinical hours for younger candidates (e.g. [ 44 ]), approaching doctoral studies in the short-term. Some data have already been produced regarding early undergraduate entry in a PhD programme on good research productivity, research career interests and longer time productivity for the nursing discipline [ 16 ]. However, the experiences available are mainly descriptive, and there are calls to conduct studies investigating predictors of doctoral programme success regarding all of these aspects with the intent to inform the best decisions regarding the establishment of a common framework of admission criteria that might be useful, especially for transnational doctoral programmes. On the side of candidates/students, issues associated with the financial implication both in the short- (fees) and long-term (e.g., the impact of future salary) should be considered in those countries where a limited number of doctoral-prepared nurses are available. Issues regarding the preparation of the faculty have been less well-investigated to date [ 13 ], while emphasis has been placed regarding the mission of doctoral education, not only concerning the differences between PhD and DNP programmes but also regarding their collaboration with the practice. The aspect of cooperation between graduates of these two programmes are also highlighted by position papers published by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing [ 22 , 23 ].

With regards to process dimensions, a regular upgrading of the programme contents [ 10 ] as well as in the modalities of the final examination [ 53 ] are recommended, given that studies have reported some form of stability over the years [ 10 ], while these programmes are required to respond to emerging research priorities, innovations in methodologies and competence, as underlined by the American and Canadian organisations working for nursing science excellence [ 22 , 59 , 60 ]. Additionally, the majority of studies available have reported a difference in the perceptions of doctoral programme quality between the faculty and students, with high values among the first (e.g. [ 7 , 8 ]): in a student-centred approach, understanding this gap and promoting improvements is recommended as a strategy to align the programme delivered to the expectations of attendees. Moreover, the quality of a doctoral programme is also enhanced by the research unit/centres and support offered to students – suggesting therefore that each doctorate programme should be equipped by the resources established at the academic level – thus allowing students to access not only traditional resources (faculty members, supervisors, and librarian) but also a centre devoted to supporting research. Special equipment should be ensured in those doctoral programmes hosting foreign students which have been documented to have additional needs requiring appropriate support (e.g. [ 24 , 47 ]).

A good relationship of PhD students with their supervisors is important for programme completion, as well as for growing as a person and a scientist. To date, different dimensions have been debated in the supervisor’s preparation, background, number of students to supervise, and number of mentors for each student (e.g. [ 11 , 25 ]), leaving the supervision process still under-researched [ 24 ]. Moreover, available studies seem to have considered singular elements of the process rather than the quality of the entire academic environment as being capable or not of promoting excellence in doctorate education. This is visible in the position statement launched by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing [ 22 ], as well as in the Quality Standards for Canadian Doctoral Education in Nursing, which underlines that the criteria required for excellence in PhD education include: active faculty researchers who would be capable of mentoring PhD students in research and helping with socialisation that is important in the competitive context; and opportunities for the active engagement of doctoral students in a scholarly environment with recognition of their contribution in the discipline development [ 59 ].

Finally, regarding outcomes, there has been no clear set of indicators established to date as doctoral programme outputs. A set of agreed outcomes measuring both the process (e.g., PhD/DNP duration) and end points (e.g., publications) in the short- and long-term (career achievements) in addition to the degree of satisfaction [ 15 ] are encouraged. All of these might support evaluation of the effectiveness of improvements – also at the international levels. Career plan expectations have been reported to change over the years and are different: in the clinical arena for DNP, and in teaching for PhD, as well as early entry [ 30 ]. The problems documented in the literature suggest that at least elective courses should be promoted to improve teaching and clinical competences. However, challenges have been underlined in the following career, not only due to the lack of some competences, but also due to entering a hostile academic environment [ 17 ] and in clinical practice where the support of leaders is crucial [ 48 ]. A wider career preparation should be an important element of doctoral programs from the initial stages [ 37 ]; also, in this case, more studies are required to understand factors promoting and hindering success in the transition from the student’s role to a doctorate position, both in the academic and clinical arenas, in order to design effective strategies. These strategies have also been underlined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and other stakeholders [ 22 , 60 ]. Most doctoral students have reported the plan to work in educational institutions, but not many PhD graduates in clinical settings [ 14 ]; therefore, there is a need to prepare students for faculty roles without neglecting the clinical area [ 15 ].

In terms of roles, establishing the DNP has been recognised as a step forward in developing clinical nursing practice, as the number of nurses with a DNP is increasing rapidly. However, as numbers of PhD nurses decrease, it can be seen as a threat regarding the development of science in nursing as PhD candidates decrease, and they are seen as future scientific scholars [ 1 , 58 ]. Moreover, degree confusion may be observed across the world considering that DNP is popular in only a few countries, mostly in the US [ 26 ].

This Scoping Review has several limitations. Firstly, only three databases were searched, with inclusion criteria limited to only publications in English; moreover, despite the systematic method used, some papers might have been missed. In addition, no grey literature has been searched, as more emphasis was placed on peer-reviewed primary studies published up to January 2020, thus missing publications which were more recent (e.g. [ 61 ]). Additionally, review/conceptual papers were also not included, so this is recommended for future analyses, as the discussion among scholars in this regard is lively e.g., [ 1 , 4 , 58 ]. When analysing the included studies, any differences have been introduced between PhD and DNP programmes that have been considered together according to the main aim of the study, while differences, if any, have been highlighted when reporting findings. Moreover, we used the Donabedian framework [ 43 ] to organise the study findings, given their ample variety. However, our study did not intend to assess the quality of doctoral programmes in their triad of structure, process and outcome dimensions.

Doctoral education is expected to bring very complex outcomes – to prepare graduates as experts in the discipline, education, research, clinical practice, leadership, and policy-makers. Considering studies published in the last 10 years, deep discussion regarding doctoral programs for nurses is being provided by scholars and nursing leaders in the US and in Europe. Doctoral programs are different across countries, with no visible cooperation of scholars internationally; their structure and content has been reported as stable over the years, thus not following the research development in nursing, discipline and practice expectations.

Reflecting on the mission of the doctoral programmes, which will help to prepare future scientists equipped with strong competences in research methodology, there is a need to move the research produced from descriptive to more robust approaches that are capable of intercepting the effects of this education in their different features in the short- and long-term, in order to inform the establishment of evidence-based doctoral education pathways across the world.

Studies investigating predictors of success informing an evidence-based approach regarding the admission criteria, as well as regarding other process elements (e.g., the quality of the programme, the quality of the supervision) are recommended. Alongside the investigation of singular elements, scaling up the perspective by considering the quality of the entire academic environment as capable or not of promoting excellence in doctorate education is strongly suggested given the acknowledged importance of the environments on the learning process.

Doctorates in nursing should be equipped with appropriate resources and should embody an appropriate degree of continuing innovation in their programmes, as well as rigours evaluating outcomes in the short- and long-term. In this light, national and global strategies might be useful to ensure consistency and enhance the quality of the programmes and resources for doctoral education in nursing, as well as to link them to a university career plan. Government agencies should support the establishment of doctorate education; international professional organisations (e.g., the International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing, International Council of Nurses; the Theta Tau International; European Academy of Nursing Science) might play a pivotal role by proposing doctorate frameworks [ 45 ]. It may be useful specifically for those countries which start with their doctoral programs in nursing or those who just plan to open it. However, career advancement, both with regards to clinical and academic roles, should be monitored in order to understand the implied factors and wastes in this context in order to prevent overeducated nurses not engaging in roles according to their competences.

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations, authors’ contributions.

BD, PCh, AP-K, VM, MM, AP - Have made substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data. BD, PCh, AP-K, VM, MM, AP - Been involved in drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content. BD, PCh, AP-K, VM, MM, AP - Given final approval of the version to be published. Each author have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. BD, PCh, AP-K, VM, MM, AP - Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

No funding available for this study.

Availability of data and materials

Declarations.

Not applicable.

We declare no competing interest by any of the authors.

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General election latest: Tory tactic on Starmer age may backfire, poll suggests; Farage changes tune on Tory deal

Sir Keir Starmer has faced accusations of a left-wing cull in the Labour Party, including from predecessor Jeremy Corbyn. In better news for the party leader, another Tory - Mark Logan - has defected. Submit your election questions in the form below.

Thursday 30 May 2024 20:12, UK

• General Election 2024

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Election news

• 'How can we trust you?' Voter challenges PM
• Tory defects to Labour | 'The right thing for country'
• Corbyn accuses Starmer of 'clearly intervening' in 'purge'
• No reason Abbott shouldn't be able to stand, says Rayner
• Tory tactic on Starmer age may backfire, poll suggests
• Farage changes tune on Tory deal
• Live reporting by Tim Baker

Expert analysis

• Jon Craig: Latest Tory defector not an obvious fit for Labour
• Gurpreet Narwan: Reform unfussed by impact of 'immigration tax'
• Darren McCaffrey: Partygate clearly still an issue for Tories
• Beth Rigby: Massive distraction gives Starmer questions to answer

Election essentials

• Trackers: Who's leading polls? | Is PM keeping promises?
• Campaign Heritage: Memorable moments from elections gone by
• Follow Sky's politics podcasts: Electoral Dysfunction | Politics At Jack And Sam's
• Read more: What happens next? | Who is standing down? | Key seats to watch | How to register to vote | What counts as voter ID? | Check if your constituency's changing | Your essential guide to election lingo | Sky's election night plans

A squeeze on people's incomes due to frozen tax thresholds will continue until 2028 under Tory plans, Jeremy Hunt has confirmed.

Rishi Sunak introduced a freeze on tax-free personal allowance thresholds (the amount you can earn before you start paying tax) when he was chancellor back in 2021. In his autumn 2022 budget, Mr Hunt extended the time it would need to be in place from 2026 to 2028.

The frozen rates mean many have failed to feel the benefit of the national insurance cut which kicked in this year.

The Office for Budget Responsibility also estimates the static rates will drag an additional four million people into paying tax by 2028 and push three million into a higher tax bracket. This is because wages will go up alongside inflation, but the threshold won't. 

The policy is often referred to as a "stealth tax".

Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The tax rises that happened as a result of the pandemic and the energy shock, these two giant shocks, will stay for their allotted time period."

But he reiterated the Conservatives' pledge to end the freeze after 2028, saying: "I can absolutely undertake that the threshold freeze that we introduced until 2028 will not continue after that."

The Tories have said they will unfreeze the thresholds for pensioners if they win the election.

Labour has also refused to commit to unfreezing overall tax thresholds.

Sir Keir Starmer said earlier that he believed the tax burden on working people was "too high" but that his party was not going to "make commitments that we cannot afford".

"Therefore I'm very clear about the tax that will remain and will be locked and where we cannot make those commitments," he said.

What are the tax thresholds and what do they mean?

The personal tax allowance is frozen at £12,570. You don't pay income tax on anything you earn below that - anything above is taxed at the 20% base rate. At the same time, the higher rate has been frozen at £50,271 - anything above that is taxed at 40%.

Tom Selby, director of public policy at AJ Bell, said the personal allowance, if it had been inflation-linked since 2021-22, would be forecast to rise to £15,989 by 2028 - nearly £3,500 higher than the frozen threshold.

There was another classic of the Lib Dem election stunt genre today, and this time Sky joined in.

Our correspondent Matthew Thompson jumped on a waterslide with party leader Sir Ed Davey - and you can watch the fun they had below...

The stunt was done to raise awareness of a Lib Dem policy to introduce a mental health professional into school.

That concludes our coverage of tonight's Politics Hub With Ali Fortescue - it'll be back tomorrow, but stick around for more news and analysis through the evening.

If this is the first TikTok election, you might be surprised at who's winning.

On the youngest, buzziest social media platform, Reform UK - whose vote tends somewhat towards the elderly - has the most followers, 125,500, just ahead of Labour on 108,500.

But others are catching up fast - and how they're using it reveals a lot about a key digital battleground in this election, one of the few arenas where money doesn't buy you influence.

Because this is new territory. "It's worth noting that the three major parties are really new to the game," says Kate Dommett, professor of digital politics at the University of Sheffield.

No major party had much of a TikTok presence before the election was called. Now they're racing to build them on the fly.

Read more from our online campaign correspondent Tom Cheshire :

Our panel is asked by Ali whether it's becoming difficult to distinguish between the two parties.

Former government adviser  Mercy Muroki says she thinks so. 

"We've heard a lot of talk already about how Labour are kind of trying very hard to move… to the centre at least and to purge the left," she says.

"And I think the policy platform they have on tax and other issues is more or less practically indistinguishable from what the Conservatives have been trying to do," she adds. 

Regardless, she says, "all parties come in promising various things on tax, and they always end up breaking it - always end up raising tax when they said they wouldn't".

Ali Fortescue   turns to our panel, former government adviser Mercy Muroki and ex-Labour staffer Greg Cook .

Asked about Mark Logan's defection, Ms Muroki says it is a "very odd" example of someone changing parties.

She points out that Mr Logan was elected in 2019 as a Boris-backing Brexiteer who is now saying Sir Keir Starmer is the future of the country.

Ms Muroki adds that Mr Logan doesn't really criticise Rishi Sunak in his letter, and admitted the Tories could hold his seat.

She says there is no clear reason for him leaving the Tory party, unlike in other defections.

Tories 'will be absolutely terrified'

Mr Cook says it may be that Labour had a hand in the defection, and it could be a useful distraction from the bad Labour headlines at the moment.

The former Labour employee says that Mr Logan seems like a "genuine, honest guy" who clearly thought his decision through.

Mr Cook says that, when Tories defected in 1997, it was over Europe and showed other Conservatives they could back Labour.

Now, there is no single clear reason that defectors have given.

"I imagine the Tories will be absolutely terrified there are more of these in the pipeline," Mr Cook says.

On the subject of Diane Abbott, Ms Muroki says it is "clearly not a good look" for the Labour Party.

But she criticises some of the narrative around the case.

She says: "I just do find it this narrative that, you know, she's a black woman, and somehow she should receive special treatment for that. 

"It's kind of undermining the reason that she was sort of being investigated in the first place."

Ms Abbott was suspended from the parliamentary Labour Party after writing in The Observer that "Irish, Jewish, and Traveller" people suffer "prejudice" - and likened it to discrimination experienced by "redheads".

"But they are not all their lives subject to racism," she added.

Another MP defecting to Labour will no doubt come as a blow to Rishi Sunak, but there are divisions in Labour too, our political editor Beth Rigby says. 

"Mark Logan has defected… it comes on the back of Natalie Elphicke [leaving, who was] more high-profile, actually," she says.

"She defected to Labour about small boats and you then had Dan Poulter, a former minister and a doctor, saying he was defecting to Labour over the NHS.

"It will, of course, be a blow to the prime minister."

In response, Beth says, the Tories have thrown themselves fully into campaigning. 

"Rishi Sunak is actually trying to shore up, for now, the right of the party, with those offers on national service, on the triple lock and more tax benefits for pensioners."

Moving to Labour, she says the Diane Abbott row may actually be a bigger story than we think. 

"The way that they are responding is making it a bigger, bigger, bigger problem, instead of nipping it in the bud," she says.

"It speaks to divisions in the party."

Sky political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh has been speaking to Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader who is now an independent.

Mr Corbyn was asked about the candidates seen to be on the left of the party - like Diane Abbott, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, and Faiza Shaheen - not being allowed to stand.

He tells Serena: "The one thing they all have in common, the people that have been purged, is that they're on the left of the party and have all spoken out in favour of an immediate ceasefire and permanent ceasefire in Gaza."

When it was put to him that Labour claims some of the action was down to liking social media posts, Mr Corbyn says: "We don't even know which tweet it was or whose tweet it was.

"That seems to me a bit thin - and the Labour Party's procedures ought to be more robust and more open than that."

Serena asks if Mr Corbyn thinks Sir Keir Starmer is behind the decisions.

The ex-Labour chief says: "Well, as much as he claims sometimes it's nothing to do with him and other times that he's made the decision, he better make up his mind what it is. 

"I think the leader ought to be independent of the other processes. But he clearly is intervening all along the way."

Sir Keir has denied he was blocking leftwing candidates.

He says that he wants the "highest quality candidates" - and that "no decision" has been taken on Ms Abbott's case.

He then paid tribute to her and the "incredible challenges" she overcame as an MP.

Mr Corbyn is standing for re-election in Islington North.

The full list of candidates for the seat is as follows:

• Jeremy Corbyn, independent;
• Vikas Aggarwal, Liberal Democrat;
• Sheridan Kates, Green Party;
• Praful Nargund, Labour;
• Martyn Nelson, Reform UK.

If you need more insight into Mark Logan's defection, read this from our chief political correspondent Jon Craig ...

In a Sky News interview after Tory MP Christian Wakeford defected to Labour in 2022, Mark Logan was asked if he planned to join him.

At the time, the Northern Ireland-born MP laughed and replied jokingly: "I'm not planning to defect - to the Democratic Unionist Party."

Yet two years later, Mr Logan has indeed - like Mr Wakeford, Dan Poulter and Natalie Elphicke in the parliament that has just ended - abandoned the Conservative Party and switched to Labour.

Mr Logan said he had done "much soul-searching throughout my first term in parliament".

Not many MPs admit to that sort of self-doubt. But then Mr Logan has never been tribal like the more bombastic and shouty members of the Tories' 2019 intake. You know who you are!

Nor is he a divisive figure like the most recent previous Tory defector to Labour, Natalie Elphicke, whose welcome from the party leadership appalled some Labour MPs and activists.

And though he won his seat from Labour's Sir David Crausby, who represented Bolton North East from 1997 until 2019, it's not a Red Wall seat.

Read the full article below:

Ali Fortescue   suggests Mark Logan's defection is further evidence of Labour shifting to the right of politics.

Mr Logan thinks it's a case of the party having "decided it wants to govern" and wanting to incorporate a "broad church".

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of a "purge" of left-wing candidates, with predecessor Jeremy Corbyn among his critics.

Some voters are also disappointed with his stance on Brexit, having dismissed any chance of the UK rejoining the EU.

Mr Logan, a Brexiteer, says "we deal with the environment we have".

"I think Labour, if it does come to power, is going to be in the situation where it does have a lot of expertise and interest in furthering the UK's relations with European partners," he says.

"And that's important when we're in a world where things are darker than they have been in recent decades."

In his defection letter released earlier, former Tory MP Mark Logan cited Labour's stance on the war in Gaza as a reason for switching.

Many of his constituents feel strongly about it, he says.

He thinks a Labour government would have "the right intention" to help end the conflict, saying there are many people in the party "that have an interest" and even a "specialism" when it comes to the Middle East.

The party has been calling for an immediate ceasefire, though the leadership has been criticised for how long it took to change its stance.

'An opportunity to show leadership'

"I do think Labour are going to do things a bit differently," says Mr Logan.

"It's actually an opportunity to show leadership. The UK can show leadership with other like-minded countries.

"There's a real opportunity if we can show leadership and move to having reconstruction that benefits the people of Gaza and also making sure that Israel is secure and safe."

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