According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, transitioning advance practice registered nursing programs from the graduate level to the doctoral level is a "...response to changes in health care delivery and emerging health care needs, 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." According to the AACN, "...benefits of practice-focused doctoral programs include:
development of needed advanced competencies for increasingly complex clinical, faculty and leadership roles;
enhanced knowledge to improve nursing practice and patient outcomes;
enhanced leadership skills to strengthen practice and health care delivery;
better match of program requirements and credits and time with the credential earned;
provision of an advanced educational credential for those who require advanced practice knowledge but do not need or want a strong research focus ;
parity with other health professions, most of which have a doctorate as the credential required for practice;
enhanced ability to attract individuals to nursing from non-nursing backgrounds;
increased supply of faculty for clinical instruction; and
improved image of nursing."
Transitioning toward the doctorate
The AACN recommended that all entry-level nurse practitioner educational programs be transitioned from the Master of Science in Nursing degree to the DNP degree. The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists has followed suit, requiring the DNP degree for entry-level nurse anesthetist programs by the year 2025. Meanwhile, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists announced in July 2015 its endorsement of the Doctor of Nursing Practice as the required degree for CNS entry into practice by 2030. Nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists currently practicing with either an MSN or certificate will not be required to obtain the DNP for continued practice. In the United States there are two terminal doctorate degrees in the field of nursing: The Doctor of Nursing Practice, and the Doctor of Philosophy. Previous doctorate level degrees have been, or are in the process of being phased out and converted to one of the two terminal degrees. The Doctor of Nursing and the have transitioned into the DNP whereas the Doctor of Nursing Science has transitioned into the PhD. The PhD in nursing is generally considered the academic and research-oriented degree, whereas the DNP is the practice-oriented or professional terminal degree.
