Doctoral programmes in the nursing discipline: a scoping review

Abstract

Background This study aimed to map and summarise the state of the research regarding doctoral programs in nursing, as well as the issues debated in the context of nursing doctoral education. A Scoping Review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis extension scoping reviews statement (PRISMA-ScR) was conducted. Three electronic bibliographic data bases were searched: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature Complete, Medline (on EBSCO Host) and SCOPUS to identify empirical studies published between January 2009 and December 2019. The review process was based on framework identified by Arksey and O’Malley and further revised by Levac and colleagues. Analysis was performed with the use of the Donabedian framework regarding the structure of the doctorate programmes, the process, and the outcomes. Results The review included 41 articles, mostly originating in the United States (n=26) and Europe (n=8), mainly by collecting the perceptions of students and faculty members with descriptive studies. The following issues were investigated at the (a) structure level: Prerequisite for doctoral candidates, Qualifications of faculty members, Mission of doctoral programs; (b) process level: Doctoral programs contents, Doctoral programs resources and quality, Mentoring and supervision, Doing doctorate abroad; and (c) outcome level: Academic performance outcomes in doctoral programs, Doctoral graduates’ competences, Doctoral students/graduates’ satisfaction, Doctoral graduates’ challenges. Conclusions Doctoral programs have mainly been investigated to date with descriptive studies, suggesting more robust research investigating the effectiveness of strategies to prepare future scientists in the nursing discipline. Doctorates are different across countries, and there is no visible cooperation of scholars internationally; their structure and processes have been reported to be stable over the years, thus not following the research development in nursing, discipline and practice expectations. Moreover, no clear framework of outcomes in the short- and long-term have been established to date to measure the quality and effectiveness of doctorate education. National and global strategies might establish common structure, process and outcome frameworks, as well as promote robust studies that are capable of assessing the effectiveness of this field of education.

Doctoral Contribution to Nursing Science in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Document Review

“…Coursework in doctoral education often focuses on advanced research methodology and nursing theories and models, as reflected in the doctoral nursing programs in countries such as the United States (Dobrowolska et al, 2021), creating a springboard for the introduction and application of nursing theories and models in research.…”

“…Nurses must contribute to the growth and development of nursing and influence the refinement of nursing science through developing, testing, and refining nursing models, theories, and metaparadigms (Barrett, 2002). As the nursing profession grows within the SSA context, nurse scientists within the region must contribute to this growth through sound research (Dobrowolska et al, 2021). This document review examined the doctoral contribution to nursing science in SSA over 5 years.…”

“…The purpose of the studies has a positive skew toward nursing practice. A research focus is often dependent on several factors, including the researcher’s personal interest, experience, expertise, and institutional capacity to engage with the study (Dobrowolska et al, 2021). The research supervisors influence the direction and focus of the studies based on their areas of specialization or expertise.…”

“…Non–nursing-specific theories may have been deemed appropriate for the research question and hence applied in studies. However, the low uptake of nursing models and poor integration of nursing science into mainstream healthcare, education, and research in nursing may contribute to this high number of studies applying models and frameworks from other fields (Dobrowolska et al, 2021; Hoeve et al, 2014). Outcomes from the exaptation type of contribution may not directly influence the development and refinement of nursing science, since they are already founded on theories from other disciplines.…”

“…Intangible understanding of nursing models and theories, different views on the role of nursing science in nursing research, and the lack of knowledge and awareness of nursing theories and models have been identified as some of the reasons for the low uptake of nursing models (Bhowmik, 2022). Conversely, in line with Dobrowolska and colleagues (2021), the experience of research supervisors, institutional capacity, funding stipulations, and interdisciplinary research are drivers for adopting non–nursing-specific models and theories. However, nurse scientists have questioned the definition of doctoral degrees in nursing if they are not underpinned by nursing science, which appears to be the case from the included studies.…”