PhD in Public Health vs Nursing

[saheckler]

Does anyone have any thoughts on a PhD in Public Health vs. Nursing? Any nurses out there who chose one over the other? Do they provide similarly rigorous preparation and open up comparable opportunities? Are they similarly respected? It seems there aren't a ton of nurses who go on to get a PhD in anything because of both the pay cut and the love of being with patients, so it's been really hard to find any info. My interests align well with public health and nursing (social determinants of health, health equity and disparities), so the choice is difficult. I'd really appreciate any thoughts or insight anyone has about this! Thank you!!!

[dubiousraves]

I’m a nurse practitioner with an MPH and I’ve decided to go the public health route. I prefer the interdisciplinary focus of public health. Nursing research seems to be a bit of an echo chamber. They mostly publish in nursing journals which are not widely read by other disciplines and often have a narrow focus. I think the rigor depends very much on the school. One the other hand, nursing has a lot of funding opportunities that public health does not. 

Edited September 30, 2018 by melissa.cox10