Abstract

Background: Currently, nurses with a doctoral education, which qualifies them to fill positions in academia, administration, clinical practice, and research, are in high demand. The development of strategies to ensure a seamless transition to doctoral programs for early career nurses may increase the number of nurses prepared to fill those positions.
Methods: An interview-based qualitative phenomenology design was utilized to explore the motivators and barriers that influence early career nurses’ consideration or pursuit of doctoral education. For this study, an early career nurse was defined as a registered nurse who had obtained initial licensure within the past 10 years. Participants included (1) early career nurses who were currently enrolled in a nursing doctoral program and (2) early career nurses who were considering enrolling in a nursing doctoral program within one year. The final sample was comprised of 15 early career nurses.
Results: A qualitative analysis of the data generated from the interviews identified the following primary themes as motivators: (1) personal and professional growth; (2) family, educator, and peer influence; (3) increased ability to serve; and (4) financial gain. The key themes identified as barriers were (1) time constraints, (2) length of study, (3) limited experience, and (4) finances. Primary themes for strategies to alleviate barriers were (1) financial support and (2)planning and shorter length of study.
Conclusion: The motivators and barriers to pursuing doctoral education, as perceived by early career nurses, can be utilized to develop recruitment and retention strategies for nurses seeking doctoral education and create nursing curricula that promote a seamless transition to a doctoral program.