Advanced practice roles have expanded graduate nursing education, but research-focused doctoral programs still need far more attention and support.
Beverly Malone, Ph.D., RN, FAAN
President and Chief Executive Officer, National League for Nursing
As healthcare has become increasingly specialized and in demand by the national and global community over the past half-century, nursing care has followed suit. Today, advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), like nurse practitioners, are quite common.
They work in a variety of clinical settings, including community health and urgent care centers where, as often as not, they are the senior medical professionals on site. In academic medical centers, nurses with additional specialized certifications work alongside physician-colleagues in operating rooms during complex procedures.
Education and career opportunities
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that as of 2024, there were 382,700 jobs in the APRN sector comprised of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners, who on average earned $132,050 annually. Employment for these APRNs is expected to grow by 35% between 2024 and 2034, compared to 3% growth for jobs overall.
Advanced practice roles have driven the expansion of graduate nursing education, beginning with master’s degrees required of APRNs, as well as of nurse educators. Nurse practitioners, RNs who aspire to become nurse-anesthetists, nurse midwives, psychiatric nurses, and others with specialized clinical skills must all complete academically demanding courses of study at accredited colleges and universities. Doctors of nursing practice, who have completed those levels of nursing education, may find rewarding careers in research, health policy, executive nursing leadership, and senior academic administration.
Through federal tuition assistance programs, such as the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP), Faculty Loan Repayment Program (FLRP), and Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program (LRP), as well as general federal graduate student loan programs like Income-Based Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness, nurses who pursue graduate education can find support to make earning an advanced degree more affordable.
Creating more support and opportunities
One area of advanced nursing education that deserves more attention and support is the research-focused Ph.D.. Rigorous, original scholarship is key to advancing public health, as research guides clinical practice, shapes health policy, and educates nursing scholars.
There are currently fewer than 150 research-focused doctoral programs within U.S. colleges of nursing. Establishing incentives to attract more nurses to apply to research-focused Ph.D. programs will help encourage higher education in nursing to prioritize nursing science.
Nursing leadership — indeed, everyone invested in the future of nursing — should unite around this shared goal to address current priorities and emerging trends, like AI, in nursing science.
As the science of nursing education continues to evolve, today’s and future generations of nurse scientists will undoubtedly make lasting contributions to produce outstanding health outcomes that benefit society. What a proud legacy that will be from America’s most trusted healthcare profession.
