by KYW's Dr. Marciene Mattleman
According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, recently 40 nurses with doctorates sat for the first certification test for the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.
The doctoral degree gives advanced-practice nurses extra clinical experience they need to treat patients; but some physician groups oppose efforts to give nurses more autonomy.
The impetus for the degree comes from demographics as well as the drop in number of medical students who choose to go into primary care, with the thought that “doctor nurses” could help.
The National Board of Medical Examiners, which administers medical-licensing, has said that there is no evidence that these nurses provide substandard care. The doctorate typically takes four years, following a Bachelor of Science degree. The final year is in clinical practice.
A candidate for the exam must be an advanced-practice nurse and have a nursing practice doctorate.
While 11 states allow nurse practitioners to diagnose and treat patients and prescribe medication without physician involvement, with a doctor of nursing practice degree and certification, more nurses will be able to fill the gap where doctors are scarce.
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