Student with doctoral degree in geriatric and forensic nursing can expect to get jobs in health research, administration, teaching,  in advanced clinical practice and consulting.

This educational course is quite demanding and can take from three to six years to complete, but in the after match nursing graduates with a doctoral degree in addition to any previous nursing education and experience can expect to be in high demand for many years or even decades as experienced forensic nurses even after reaching retirement age.

There are usually several available doctoral programs that a student in geriatric nursing can choose from. The Doctor of Nursing(ND), traditionally requires from three to five years of study with a focus on obtaining the role of the advanced nurse practitioner. The Doctor of Nursing Practice(DNP) is an emergency program that requires a minimum of three years of full-time study. The DNP program prepares graduates for leadership managerial positions in research, patient outcomes, clinical care delivery, and also system management.

Nurse researchers and scholars who choose to focus on theoretical foundations of nursing, further research, and scholarly inquiry usually lean toward the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs which are available to nurses. Also, the Doctorate in Education (EdD) prepares the nurse for being a teacher themselves.

If you are a nurse interested in gaining a PhD  you may do so with help of dual programs as well. Each program is unique and has its own prerequisites, but most of them require that the nurse obtain a master’s  or bachelor’s degree and have some experience in the field before acceptance.