Issues and challenges in international doctoral education in nursing

Education is a driving force in improving the health and welfare of communities globally. Doctoral education of nurses has been identified as a critical factor for provision of leadership in practice, scholarship, research, policy and education. Since the genesis of doctoral education in nursing in the USA in the 1930s, this movement has burgeoned to over 273 doctoral programs in over 30 countries globally. The present article seeks to identify the issues and challenges in nursing doctoral education globally, and those encountered by doctoral program graduates in meeting the challenges of contemporary health care systems. Information was derived from a comprehensive literature review. Electronic databases and the Internet, using the Google search engine, were searched using the key words "doctoral education"; "nursing"; "International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing"; "global health"; "international research collaboration". Doctoral education has been a critical force in developing nurse leaders in education, management, policy and research domains. An absence of consensus in terminology and of accurate minimum data sets precludes comparison and debate across programs. The complexity and dynamism of contemporary globalized communities render significant challenges in the conduct of doctoral programs. Addressing funding issues and faculty shortages are key issues for doctoral programs, especially those in developing countries, to achieve an identity uniquely their own. These challenges can also afford considerable opportunities for discussion, debate and the formulation of innovative and collaborative solutions to advance nursing knowledge and scholarship. In spite of discrete differences between countries and regions, the similarities in the issues facing the development of doctoral programs internationally are more striking than the differences. The harnessing of a global collective to address these issues will likely serve to not only forge the future viability of doctoral education of nurses but to improve the health and well-being of communities. This paper proposes international collaborative strategies to address a number of the challenges identified.     

Issues in doctoral education in nursing

In this article, I have traced some of the evolutionary threads that have contributed to current patterns of doctoral education in nursing. Although current programs may differ in the title of the degree offered, all are structured as research doctoral programs. Because they try to be all things to all people, they fail to prepare either competent researchers or applied practitioners. Cluttered with too much general content and not enough content specific to the particular career track of the student, they fail to provide an adequate foundation for future career pathways. As a result, preparation of leaders for academic and administrative roles, clinical teachers, practitioners, and researchers is limited. Nursing has a vital contribution to make to the health of the American people. To do so we must ensure that our researchers are providing a substantive knowledge base for the field, that our leaders in academic and practice fields have a solid knowledge base of nursing coupled with administrative preparation and applied research skills, and that our clinical teachers and practitioners are skilled in their clinical specialties and in applied research in their fields. Finally, we need expert practitioners who deliver and manage truly comprehensive, quality health care services for persons in all stages of the health-illness continuum.     

Philosophy of science in doctoral nursing education revisited

Because every scientific theory and all research methods are tied to some philosophical framework, it is important that scientists within a given discipline be aware of the philosophical orientations that serve as the basis for developing theory and advancing knowledge. Nurse scientists have been challenged recently to examine the discipline's philosophical underpinnings in order to understand the evolutionary process of nursing science. The inclusion of the study of philosophy of science in doctoral nursing curriculum has remained a topic of periodic discourse. Whereas some assert that it promotes the essential process of philosophical reflection necessary for scientific exploration of relevant phenomenon, others contend that nurse scientists' preoccupation with this issue has diverted their attention from the real business of nursing science—that of knowledge development that will lead to legitimization of nursing as a discipline. Philosophy of science provides a useful frame of reference in which to appreciate the unfolding of nursing as a discipline. It should not be viewed as a distraction but rather a critical step in the transformation of the doctoral student into a productive nurse scientist. Doctoral programs remain the most logical place in which to educate future scholars regarding nursing's unique philosophical foundations and their implications for scientific inquiry and continued knowledge development. Creating and maintaining liaisons between nursing and philosophy departments—as well as requiring courses that emphasize the interrelationships among philosophy of science, nursing theory, and nursing research—are just a few of the strategies whereby doctoral programs can actively promote advancement of the discipline.     

Matching standards and needs in doctoral education in nursing.

The debate about the number and type of doctoral degrees required in nursing has recurred with regularity throughout the history of nursing. National discussions about the shortcomings and relevance of the PhD within general higher education circles are described. Applicability of these concerns to nursing education is discussed. In the midst of this national debate, new nursing doctoral degrees are being proposed and implemented. Emergence of these new degrees has caused many to worry about replicating at the highest degree level the current confusion about nursing preparation at the entry level. A classification of doctoral degrees in nursing is proposed along with a call for standardization of degrees.     

Student career goal changes during doctoral education in nursing

As a relatively new doctoral discipline, nursing appears to be following the research focus of other disciplines in its doctoral programs. One original intent of awarding doctoral degrees in nursing was to prepare faculty. This study sought to determine how many doctoral students in nursing identified the goal of a career as faculty in schools of nursing at the beginning of their doctoral program, and how many would choose faculty positions after being enrolled in a doctoral program for more than one year. The population included 785 doctoral students in nursing from 35 schools in the United States. A cross-sectional study design was used to compare newly enrolled doctoral students with students who had been enrolled for more than one year. Although first-year and more experienced students have similar career goals upon entering a doctoral program, the career goals of doctoral nursing students do change over time. More experienced students become less interested in faculty positions, especially in nondoctoral schools of nursing, and more interested in positions involving research and consultation. Within specific programs, students in EdD programs became more interested in faculty positions in doctoral universities. Students in DNS programs who changed their goals became more career goal oriented, thus compounding the shortage of doctoral faculty. These changes in career goals warrant examination.     

A data-based agenda for doctoral nursing education reform

BACKGROUND: Continuing concerns over the diverse degree names and the quality and quantity of doctoral nursing programs make it essential that nursing leadership take consensus-driven action on the basis of today's educational realities. PURPOSE: To explore the state of US doctoral nursing education to determine what leadership initiatives are needed in program definition, scope, and resources. METHOD: The researchers used a mailed survey (63.4% response rate) and Web site review (all remaining progress) to gather data on all US doctoral nursing education programs (n = 87). The survey included 12 items pertaining to each degree program and 11 institutional environmental questions. DISCUSSION: The doctor of philosophy was the most common degree title (n = 71). Degree title was not consistently associated with requirements (eg, dissertation and practica requirements) or stated degree purposes. Reports of program resources, as defined by faculty rank and research experience, indicated fiscal and educational threats to program integrity in many schools. CONCLUSIONS: Although individual schools should continue efforts to increase educational quality, consensus and action by all doctoral programs is needed. Five recommendations for immediate action are proposed.     

Issues and challenges in nursing and nursing education in Japan

In this editorial we discuss the challenges and issues in nursing and nurse education in Japan. These include a rapid growth in the number of universities offering nursing programs without sufficient time for preparation of faculty; issues in the traditional ways of teaching in classrooms; the appearance of nursing shortages in a country with the highest rate of longevity in the world; and the position of nursing faculty in a society that is largely male dominated.     

Human dignity: a cornerstone of doctoral education in nursing

Human dignity is foundational to nursing ethics in both the practice and educational arena. It is implicitly and explicitly woven throughout all ethical dialogue. This column offers insight into the ubiquitous nature of human dignity as it surfaced during a doctoral level ethics course. These examples are shared in light of the humanbecoming human dignity ethical tenets: reverence, awe, betrayal, and shame. The prevalence of dignity in ethical discussion serves as a reminder for nurses to carve out time for meaningful discussions regarding its importance to the nursing profession as a whole.     

Expanding horizons: innovations in community health nursing education

Application of this learning process (problem assessment, program planning, intervention, and evaluation) at the aggregate level, was a creative, enjoyable, growth producing experience for the senior nursing students. It is a process that is not only useful in the local community, but also prepares nurses for working at county, state, and national levels. They learn to make valid observations and firm decisions, to carry out actions, to overcome obstacles, to alter behavior, and to evaluate results. It does not replace other practices and former services of community health nursing, but complements them. There exists a tremendous potential for nurses in planning health care, already being realized in many settings. Certainly grass roots communities, rural populations and urban neighborhoods are in the highest need of creative, effective health programs that take into account the total population. Given such creativity, it is possible by the year 2000, that the Community Health Nurse may become a combination medical advisor, health instructor, community leader, playwright, photographer, author and television director; certainly a captivating career for people of the New World.     

我国护理学博士研究生教育现状分析

目的 了解我国护理学博士研究生教育现状,为加速与规范护理学博士研究生培养提供参考.方法 采用便利抽样法.对8所院校护理学博士研究生教育情况进行调查.结果 5所院校已开展护理学博士研究生招生培养工作;各院校护理学博士研究生的培养目标与研究方向具有较多共同点;学制多为全日制3年,以哲学博士(PhD)为主;各院校对护理博士课程设置仍具有较大自主性,在护理专业核心课程设置方面尚缺乏统一标准;博士学历的护理师资占8所院校博士学历教师总数的75%,各院校师资力量结构不均衡.结论 应使博士教育与高级临床护理实践紧密结合;探索联合培养模式,实现教育资源共享;设置护理专业核心课程与教育质量评价体系;组建护理学博士研究生导师队伍.