For a better understanding of the profile of nurses working in France who hold or are working toward a Ph.D: A quantitative descriptive study

Introduction: In 2009, the French Association de recherche en soins infirmiers (Nursing Research Association) counted fifty-four nurses holding a doctorate or working toward one. Recent developments in this area include the creation of section 92, for nursing sciences, in the National Council of Universities, making it possible for nurses in France to become professors with teaching and research responsibilities.

Objectives: To update and complete the 2009 data by identifying the grades, fields of activity, and disciplines of nurses holding a doctorate or studying for one.

Method: A quantitative descriptive study was carried out using an online questionnaire between December 1, 2021 and March 22, 2022.

Results: the study involved 147 nurses working in France: seventy-five with a doctorate and 72 doctoral students. The majority of the respondents were women, held a supervisory position, and were working in the field of education. Among the doctorates obtained, education sciences accounted for the largest share. However, this disciple was less well represented among the doctoral candidates.

Discussion: This study shows a change in the characteristics of nurses who are also doctoral candidates and in the disciplines in which they have obtained or are currently obtaining a doctorate, and an increase in the value of the degree, particularly in research, but little access to academic posts.