Key Take-Aways for PHD Recruitment and Retention in Nursing and Other Practice Disciplines

Presented by Lauren Muñoz, George Washington University

Written by Caitlin A. Getchell, JD, The University of Tulsa

Lauren Muñoz, postdoctoral associate at George Washington University, has been researching the recruitment and retention of nursing PHD students. Muñoz started by stating that PHD nursing program enrollment has been in decline as doctor of nursing practice (DNP) programs become more available. Many potential students opt for a DNP program for the practice component over a research field.

For her research, Muñoz sought to answer the question: What is the essence of the lived experience of DNPprepared nurses choosing to pursue their PHD?

Muñoz was also seeking to understand how to strengthen PHD interest and enrollment and how to improve doctoral nursing education overall.

Using an existential phenomenology method she worked with 10 DNP-prepared nurses pursing their nursing PHD for this study. She found that some of her participants opted to pursue their nursing PHD for the opportunities it provided in the field hierarchy or the DNP didn’t meet all their needs or expectations. For others, a love of learning or the long-term goal of having their PHD was what led them to their program. But one of the most important components for success was that the students felt supported in their program.

Muñoz stated that many of the participants had stories of times they felt unsure they could succeed and having the support of their faculty and university was what encouraged them to continue.

For GEM professionals working in student success roles, Muñoz suggested some of the following ways to help make students feel supported:

• Ensure equitable resources.

• Encourage faculty or administrators to affirm students’ capabilities. Examples might include: n A note from the dean marking accomplishments like candidacy. n Announcements in the campus newsletter of important milestones (e.g., candidacy, defense, publication, etc.). n End-of-semester department celebration marking successful completion of the term. n Faculty sharing their own experiences.

For GEM professionals working in admissions, Muñoz suggested:

• Advocate for student exposure to PHD faculty and students — you can’t aspire to something you don’t know exists.

• Be able to explain the differences between a nursing PHD and DNP to a prospect, including degree differences, career opportunities, etc.

• Don’t downplay one degree to boost another and don’t be afraid to guide students away from your program if it isn’t a good fit.

During the discussion, questions arose regarding how a school considering a nursing PHD should decide whether that program would be an appropriate investment. While Muñoz agreed that could be a difficult decision, she mentioned one factor that may play a role is considering whether the university had the resources (e.g., qualified faculty, facilities, etc.) needed for a successful nursing PHD program. Along with student enrollment, the number of nursing PHDs in the workforce has been declining as graduation rates stagnate. This trend has also been noticeable in similar fields with multiple degree options, such as physical therapy, social work, audiology and speech-language pathology, and accounting. While these trends are troubling, Muñoz’s recommendation to help support both applicants and current students could help both degree completion and recruitment rates moving forward. n