Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Nov-Dec;67(6):776-788.
doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2019.06.021. Epub 2019 Jul 5.

Mentoring students engaging in scholarly projects and dissertations in doctoral nursing programs

Kelley M Anderson  1 , Maureen Kirkpatrick McLaughlin  2 , Nancy A Crowell  2 , Jane M Fall-Dickson  2 , Krista A White  2 , Ella T Heitzler  2 , Karen S Kesten  3 , Edilma L Yearwood  2
Affiliations

Mentoring students engaging in scholarly projects and dissertations in doctoral nursing programs

Kelley M Anderson et al. Nurs Outlook. 2019 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Background: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs in the US have grown exponentially, outnumbering Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing programs. Faculty are mentoring increasing numbers of students on DNP projects or PhD dissertations.

Purpose: This descriptive study explored faculty characteristics and examined support, engagement, and outcomes of American Association of Colleges of Nursing member nursing faculty mentoring student DNP projects or PhD dissertations.

Method: A researcher-developed survey tool was emailed to 550 Deans and Program Directors of AACN doctoral programs for distribution to their doctoral faculty. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Findings: 177 DNP and 53 PhD (N=230) program surveys were completed. Faculty described challenges in the mentoring role including: time constraints, workload allocation, resources, faculty role preparation, student readiness, and variability in student outcomes.

Conclusions: Additional dialogue and consensus is required to promote mentoring of students in nursing doctoral programs to ensure rigor of scholarly outcomes.

Keywords: DNP; Doctoral programs; Mentoring; Nursing faculty; PhD.

PubMed Disclaimer

LinkOut - more resources