Doctoral Pragrams in Nursing

Doctoral programs prepare nurses for roles as academicians, administrators, advanced clinical scientists, researchers, consultants, and indepandent practitioners. Doctoral degrees in nursing may be professional degrees (EdD, DNS, ND) or research degrees (PhD).
The first doctoral program in nursing was offered at Columbia University in 1924; the graduates received an EdD. Other doctoral programs developed slowly and the next school to offer a doctorate, a PhD, was New York University in 1934. During the 1960sdoctoral programs in nursing science (DNS) were established in response to the need for nursing scientists and academicians. The professional degree (DSN) was developed at this time as a result of a lack of (1) prepared faculty, (2) a well-defined knowledge base, and (3) a research record required to establish research degrees. In the 1970s there were four doctoral programs with a nursing major, expanding to 27 in the mid-1980s. As of 1989 there were 44 schools of nursing with doctoral programs.
Educational Setting

Diploma Nursing Programs

Diploma programs prepare students to become registered nurses. The programs are typically associated with a hospital, but more recently are affiliated with a college or university. The programs prepare graduates for technical nursing practice.
Diploma schools of nursing were the primary educational agency for educating nurses during the 1800s and early and mid-1900s. The schools were patterned after the Florence Nightingale training school model. The first school in the United States was the New England Hospital for Women and Children. Linda Richards was its first graduate in 1873.
As a result of studies, commissions, and position papers, the setting fornursing education programs shifted to colleges and universities. The number of diploma schools and entrants in diploma schools has steadily declined since 1960. As of 1988 there were 177 diploma schools accredited by the NLN, with 21 scheduled to close.
Educational Setting