LAUSR

BACKGROUND Increasing the BSN-PhD pipeline could address the shortage of nursing faculty to conduct research, develop nursing science, and train new nurses and faculty. PURPOSE To identify barriers to BSN students' pursuit of PhD education, and to compile recommendations to increase their numbers. METHODS This scoping review follows PRISMA guidelines, including articles in English that discussed barriers to BSN students' pursuit of PhD education and recommendations to address them. FINDINGS Barriers to pursuing a PhD include misunderstanding PhD education and its impact on population-level health, insufficient funding for PhD studies, and perceived need for clinical experience. BSN program recommendations include education on doctoral and postdoctoral options, mentorship, and hands-on research experiences. PhD programs should be accessible, fully funded, and address students' perceived need for clinical experience. DISCUSSION The nursing profession must take coordinated action across individual, interpersonal, program, policy, and cultural levels to increase the pipeline of well-prepared BSN-PhD students.