| With the inevitable transition from a master's degree to a practice doctorate for the advanced practice nursing degrees already underway, learning the opinions of current registered nurses in the state of Missouri toward these changes was of interest. Based on the literature, this transition has been productive and beneficial to other professions, but no literature was found on the opinions or attitudes of registered nurses toward this transition in the state of Missouri. A survey was sent via email to members of Missouri Nurses Association in order to obtain this information. The results of this survey indicate a negative opinion of the transition from a master's degree to a practice doctorate for those nurses in the state of Missouri. Additionally, the researchers attempted to identify a correlation between the age of the nurse and interest in pursuing an advanced nursing degree. The Spearman's Rho revealed no significant correlation between age of the nurse and the pursuit of an advanced degree, although the trend was in the expected direction. Overall, the survey participants displayed negative opinions toward the transition from a master's degree to a doctorate. |
