New doctorate of nursing practice degree to be planned at UNC

UNC-CH may soon join hundreds of other universities and the majority of its peers as it begins planning a doctor of nursing practice degree program.

UNC-CH first presented the program to the UNC-system Board of Governors in February 2010, and the board voted to approve the planning of the program at six UNC-system schools — including UNC-CH — at its June 15 meeting.

The degree, which takes three years to complete, focuses primarily on practice, as opposed to the more research-oriented doctorate of philosophy programs.

Kristen Swanson, dean of the UNC-CH School of Nursing said the purpose of the program is to teach students to work and improve health care quality, to review research findings for treatment and to encourage leadership.

Swanson said the program will greatly benefit students in the state.

“When this program is offered through state-supported schools, the highest level of preparation for advanced practice nurses will be available to nurses in the state of North Carolina. Moreover, the citizens will have access to such highly educated (nurses),” she said.

Surveys conducted by the UNC-CH School of Nursing have found that 56.2 percent of both undergraduate and graduate nursing students have expressed interest in joining the program.

Swanson said at least 31.6 percent of UNC-CH School of Nursing alumni surveyed expressed interest in returning to obtain this degree if offered at UNC-CH.

The degree program is currently offered at more than 150 universities nationwide, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. More than 100 more schools are considering the program.

The association lists eight of 15 of UNC-CH’s peer institutions which already offer this program­­.

Peer institutions, such as the University of Virginia and Duke University, are designated by the Board of Governors to facilitate comparison between universities.

The most recent list of peers was approved by the board in 2011.

The doctor of nursing practice program at Duke University, which began in 2008, has pathways open to students with degrees ranging from bachelor’s to doctorate of philosophy, said Barbara Turner, director of the program.

Duke’s program features online and in-class components, and is designed to accommodate students who must work full-time. Turner said all students are currently employed.

Swanson said the program at UNC-CH would likely be similar to the one at Duke University.

Bruce Carney, UNC-CH executive vice chancellor and provost, said in an email that approving a degree program is a slow process.

“If all goes well, two years is a relatively rapid time-scale from the time when a school begins to develop a proposal until students arrive,” he said.

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