The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing is hosting three upcoming events to discuss its doctoral nursing programs with prospective students.
The effort – called "Take a Closer Look…PhD & DNP" — will include the following events:
- Omaha – Tuesday, Sept. 29, 4-5:30 p.m., Center for Nursing Science, 4101 Dewey Ave., third floor, student atrium, Room 3030.
- Lincoln – Tuesday, Oct. 6, 4-5:30 p.m., Commerce Court, Wells Fargo Building 1230 O St., Suite 131, Room 304.
- Online event – Tuesday, Oct. 27, 4:30-5:30 p.m. People can watch online at http://unmcconnect.adobeconnect.com/nrsgphd or go to any of the College of Nursing’s five campus locations. These locations include: Kearney, HSEC, Room 104; Lincoln, College of Nursing, Room 360, Norfolk, College of Nursing, Room 262; Omaha, Center for Nursing Science, Room 4095; and Scottsbluff, College of Nursing, Harms Building, Room B130D.
Anyone interested may RSVP to attend by emailing GraduateNursing@unmc.edu.
A confluence of factors make now the time to pursue a graduate degree in nursing, said Juliann Sebastian, Ph.D., dean of the UNMC College of Nursing.
Although Nebraska nurse practitioners are gaining more independence, there continues to be a shortage of nurse practitioners in the state, especially in rural areas, Dr. Sebastian said. Aging baby boomers and the Affordable Care Act are driving demand for primary care, she said. While nurse practitioners are increasingly being viewed as a cost-effective solution to providing high-quality health care, Dr. Sebastian noted that more than one-third of Nebraska’s counties have no nurse practitioners.
Meanwhile, there is also a nationwide push for more doctorally-prepared nurses, Dr. Sebastian said. The Nebraska Center for Nursing reports that less than 1 percent of registered nurses in Nebraska hold a doctoral degree.
In support of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s position that advanced practice nursing programs move to the doctoral level, the College of Nursing launched its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in 2011 for master’s-prepared nurses seeking education at the highest level of nursing practice.
Last month the College of Nursing welcomed its first cohort of BSN to DNP students, who enter the DNP program without needing to pursue a master’s degree first.
Dr. Sebastian said the college received a large number of excellent applications and expects to expand the program in future years.
Another key factor is the shortage of nursing faculty, Dr. Sebastian said. This year saw a spike in BSN-prepared nurses going directly into the Ph.D. in Nursing program. This is a positive trend which will give graduates more time to dedicate to careers as researchers and educators, she said.
As many nursing faculty near retirement age, Dr. Sebastian said the state and nation as a whole need more nursing Ph.D.s to teach the next generation of nurses and to conduct scholarly research to advance nursing practice and health care delivery.
UNMC offers the only Ph.D. in nursing degree in Nebraska.
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