[Hassan]

The controversy about the use of “Doctor” as a title was really surprising when I started my DNP journey, I never knew we really had the option to us this title. In the past I have seen people from various fields of study use the title, though never really felt anyway about it. I do remember the origin of the word literally means to teach in Latin, which I feel is often overlooked. The use of the word meant a learned person, and people respected a person who took the time to max out on all the knowledge they could. The term has literally no indication of being “owned” by medicine, and this seriously needs to be considered in all this back and forth. The knowledge we attain on the road to terminal degrees should be recognized, though I wanna stress ego needs to be left out of it. I am proud to be a nurse, and while I may eventually get my DNP the title of doctor for me is little but a formality. I will admit I am much more laid back with titles and labels personally, but if you feel people should call you doctor I support you! I have always enjoyed the thought of being called an NP, but again that is just me.

[Hassan]

I really do run into this often when I am working, but I am always open and ready for this discussion. They have told me that it is silly to go for a terminal degree in nursing, that it really doesn’t lead to anything. I feel like this is a justified response, but one begotten of old ideas and opinions. There was a time where going for such a degree would be seen as very limiting and almost unnecessary, and I believe much like many things in nursing some things have a hard time modulating to the times. I do tend to lean on much of what I have learned in my classes as evidence, in a bid to at least expose them to newer views and perspectives on the role of APRNs. It does eventually fall on us to educate others on what the role of an APRN is, the categories and even the variance of practice opportunity. We can turn moments like these into a bit of practicing why we do what we do, so that eventually when we do reach our goals we will be able to better stand and say I am. One day I feel these views will be a thing of the past and our field will be better for it.

[Hassan]

Speaking from my own experience, so far I really.do see a value to my post graduate education in nursing. In my journey in getting my DNP-PMHNP I feel like I view nursing from a fresh and even more humble perspective. There is so much to the field of nursing, which can be hard to take in from the perspective of floor nurses. In my career I have played a variety of roles in nursing, so I do believe this helped transition to learning to become an APRN. The various competencies and essentials you highlighted really did give me a good understanding of the value of the APRN, even giving me more motivation on the oath ahead of me in my education. There is a component of adaptation for sure, but I also feel as every nurse at any level has to be good at adapting to overcome. This will especially benefit many of the future DNPs in the coming years, especially as most of the old guard in nursing are now facing retirement. It will be on those of us who take up the challenge now to see it through, expanding the field of nursing which is ever growing and evolving.

[Author]

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