Abstract
Transitioning into the role of nurse scientist requires the acquisition of new knowledge but also involves the development of new scholarly skills and the appropriation of the unique values and goals of the new role. Students engaged in doctor of philosophy education in all practice disciplines are confronted with a necessary shift in perspective and identity from that of the practice expert to the research scientist and experience a tension referred to as the research–practice dualism. The purpose of this article is to examine the ramifications of this identity shift in nursing doctor of philosophy education and to detail one program's strategy to address the inherent tension. This transition into the role of nurse scientist includes learning to value scholarly literature, expanding one's philosophical and disciplinary vocabulary, cultivating disciplinary inquisitiveness, learning scholarly communication and dissemination skills, and developing new collegial relationships. It is essential that this process of transitioning from clinician to scholar be purposively supported from the outset of the program. Faculty must critically examine current educational strategies and design new approaches to more effectively integrate the practice and science worlds, thereby enhancing program completion and graduating nurse scientists who are equipped to contribute to the knowledge of the discipline.
•PhD nursing students face an identify shift from practice expert to researcher.•The PhD first semester is a particularly vulnerable period for this transition.•PhD nursing faculty can integrate purposive strategies to support this transition.•New PhD values and skills are linked to those already gained in practice.