Ser doutor em enfermagem: um percurso a partilhar

Introduction: When approaching the perspective of a Ph.D. in Nursing, there is a frequent idea that such representation is an aspiration for a career change or the beginning of professional life in the academy. At the same time, ignorance remains, the idea that this training is only for head nurses or directors, the lack of accessibility and even the notion of distancing from what is the reality of care contexts. Aims: To present a critical and reflective analysis of the development path of a doctoral student in Nursing, contemplating frequent questions and strategies for a successful implementation. Promote the consideration of this option by more and more nurses. Materials and Methods: A critical reflection on the course of development of a doctoral student in nursing combined with a brief narrative review. Questions about the doctorate and strategies for success in its implementation are contemplated. Results: The perception of a Ph.D. as a process of transition throughout the course, counting on the same seven issues/difficulties and strategies categorized into organization, curiosity, resilience, writing, strategy, motivation or reward and disclosure. Emphasis is given to the conception that participation in change and leadership in Nursing, projected to obtain results in nursing care, is an intrinsic element of the title Doctor in Nursing. Being a Doctor in Nursing today represents the expected evolution of the science of Nursing with its own body of knowledge, in the creation of new leaders and, above all, the contribution to the development of health systems. Conclusions: This analysis allowed a preponderant reflection on the facilitating and inhibiting elements of attending and completing a Ph.D. in Nursing. It reinforces, above all, this as a step of increasing importance in the competence, decision and leadership gains of nurses in the context of health reform.