Succeeding in Your Doctorate in Nursing and Midwifery

This guide to succeeding in your doctorate for nurses and midwives is both inspiring and practical. The authors draw on personal experience of supervising nurses and midwives in their doctoral studies as well as on the insights of past and present students. They examine each aspect of, and step on, the journey of a doctorate in nursing or midwifery. They offer advice and support at each key point in the process, from registering for a doctorate through to completion and career planning beyond. Throughout, the book emphasises the life-changing potential of doctoral work.

The book begins by setting doctoral study in nursing and midwifery within the context of doctorates in other disciplines, providing a brief history of the traditional PhD as well as setting out the emergence of professional and clinical doctorates. It addresses arguments around the place of doctorates in the professions of nursing and midwifery, in health care services and within the context of the recent history of nurse and midwifery education. Writing in an accessible and demystifying style, the authors present guidance around choosing appropriate topics, research questions and methods before discussing the exciting role of theory in a doctorate. They address common challenges that doctoral students face, and suggest some strategies for overcoming them. The book ends with a discussion of how to plan for your next steps, having successfully achieved your doctorate.

Guiding nurses or midwives through the social, emotional and intellectual challenges of conducting research in and about their areas of professional practice, this book is an essential companion for nurses and midwives who are considering, or undertaking, doctoral study, whether they are in clinical or academic roles. It is also a useful resource for those supervising or considering supervising doctoral students in nursing and midwifery.