Background <p>Compared to other health-related disciplines, the number of nursing doctorate holders is relatively small. This study aimed to analyze the primary motivation of nursing individuals for pursuing a doctorate and to determine whether they felt the pursuit was worthwhile after graduating. Additionally, this study compared whether the attitudes of nursing doctorate holders differed from those in other health-related disciplines.</p> Methods <p>An analysis of secondary data was conducted. Original data was collected by the Science and Technology Policy Research and Information Center, Applied Research Laboratories in Taiwan, via an online questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 27.0. This study analyzed a sample of nursing doctorate holders (<i>n</i> = 133; 97.0% females) and other health-related doctorate holders (<i>n</i> = 430; 46.3% females) from this survey. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, independent samples t-test, and multiple linear regression analyses were applied to compare the attitudes between participants in nursing and those in other health-related disciplines.</p> Results <p>The primary motivation for pursuing a doctorate among nursing participants was most commonly attributed to it being a basic requirement for their desired work (35.3%). For participants in other health-related disciplines, the desire to become an outstanding professional in their respective fields was the primary motivation (30.2%). Whether it is the process of doctoral studies (85.8% vs. 73.9%; <i>p &lt;</i>.001) or the benefits brought by doctoral degrees (87.2% vs. 76.8%; <i>p &lt;</i>.001), participants in nursing showed significantly higher satisfaction than those in other health-related disciplines.</p> Conclusions <p>The education authorities, hospitals, and universities should strive to provide high-quality, satisfactory doctoral education for nursing doctoral students, to meet their expectations for further studies.</p> Trial registration <p>No medical interventions were administered to human participants in this study. Clinical trial number: not applicable.</p>