Student Career Goal Changes During Doctoral Education in Nursing

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Abstract
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.