Decision-Making Among Doctoral Nurse Graduates: Degree and Career Trajectory
Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to understand the decision-making process of doctoral nurse graduates regarding their education and career trajectory. Background: The nurse faculty shortage is expected to increase over the next several years as more PhD nurse faculty continue to retire. The nurse faculty shortage and demand for doctoral prepared nurses has been a point of discussion among the nursing profession for over 10 years because of its impact on the overall nurse shortage and nurse scholarship. Though government and state agencies, professional organizations, and the private sector have recognized the need for PhD nurse faculty and have subsidized educational funding toward developing qualified candidates, these efforts have fallen short. This qualitative descriptive study sought to contribute to the body of research related to increasing the number of PhD nurse faculty. Setting: Recruitment and interviews were virtual with use of email, phone, and Zoom. Methods: Participants who met with inclusion criteria were selected by convenience or snowball technique. Inclusion criteria included being doctoral nurse program graduates within the last 4 years, being employed, and being able to read and speak English. Data were collected with a demographic questionnaire and semi-structured questionnaire derived from SCCT framework. Procedure: Participant interviews were recorded via Zoom. Interviews were transcribed with Otter.ai transcription software. Transcripts were inventoried using NVivo 12 content mapping and thematically analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s framework. Findings: Mentors were influential during early career development and with choice of doctoral degree. Conclusion: More research is needed in the area of faculty mentoring relationships during early career development and for recruitment of PhD nurse candidates.
Subject Area
Nursing|Health education
Recommended Citation
Raffa, Roxanna Y, "Decision-Making Among Doctoral Nurse Graduates: Degree and Career Trajectory" (2023). ETD Collection for Pace University. AAI30427142.
https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/dissertations/AAI30427142
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