For those of you who have read other articles in the blog before, the advantages of earning a PhD are fairly clear. Besides the prestige of having the highest degree possible for any particular field, the ability to advance your career as well as the potential for earning a larger paycheck, having the extent of knowledge in your field of study practically pays for itself in the long run.

Normally we see these PhD and EdD programs in the fields of psychology, philosophy, business administration and education, there is also, believe it or not, a Doctor in Nursing Practice degree, and The George Washington University is proud to offer that program online to prospective students.

The goal of this very unique program is to advance the roles of nursing professionals in the fields of clinical practice, management and leadership.The courses contained within the program help to improve decision-making, evaluation and critical-thinking skills to create more adept and invaluable nurses.

The program is mainly online, however there will be a few times where students will be required to travel to campus in order to complete their coursework. Students who hold a BSN degree will need to complete 72-78 credit hours of coursework, MSN students will complete 36 credit hours. As the student is closer to completing their required number of credit hours, they will be asked to visit the campus for one day in order to present their project proposal to a committee. Before graduation, students will then return to the campus once again to defend their project, and finally participate in the graduation ceremonies.

Since there is a future possibility of a revised national healthcare program, there will most likely be an immediate need for more healthcare professionals including doctors and nurses, since approximately 30 million Americans will the have health insurance. Having the most prepared nurses who are capable, dependable, and well-trained will make the lives of the nurses, doctors, and patients much easier.