UT School of Nursing announces plans
to offer accelerated Ph.D. program
HOUSTON – (June 1, 2009) – In response to the national nursing shortage, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing plans to offer a creative solution: the Accelerated Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing program.
George R. Farris, chair of the school’s advisory council, announced the proposed Accelerated Ph.D. program during a luncheon on May 29 to celebrate Patricia L. Starck’s 25 years as dean of the UT Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing.
“This would be one of the first programs of its kind in the country,” Farris said. “It is a $2 million initiative, and we’re proud to announce that with generous support from The George Foundation, with its $500,000 challenge grant, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System and others, we are well on our way to meeting our fund-raising goal.”
Fully funded stipends would allow doctoral candidates to earn their Ph.D. in three years rather than the traditional five to seven years. Initially, 10 students are to be enrolled full-time in the program, which is expected to begin in Fall 2010.
Acceptance to the program would be contingent upon applicants’ agreement to provide a minimum of three years of service as nursing faculty at the UT Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing or in the Gulf Coast region after graduation.
Starck, DSN, RN, FAAN, said expediting training for doctoral students so that they can begin to teach other nursing students directly addresses the nursing shortage crisis.
“We turn away more than 8,000 qualified prospective nursing students annually in Texas alone, even though our state has a deficit of 22,000 registered nurses now and a projection of 70,000 by 2020. Why? Because there is not enough nursing faculty to teach these students,” Starck said.
With each group of new Accelerated Ph.D. candidates, Starck said, the school could increase enrollment by 100 students. This would more rapidly address the nursing shortage and positively impact patient care.
“By a conservative estimate, a nurse cares for 1,000 patients every year,” she said. “The Accelerated Ph.D. program would mean that at least 100,000 patients benefit from the top-flight skills of these new nursing graduates annually. The impact on health care in our community would be immeasurable.”
The program, which includes 66 post-master’s credits, would offer the same study plan and rigorous requirements as in a traditional doctoral program.
To support the Dean Patricia L. Starck 25th Anniversary Tribute Initiative to establish the Accelerated Ph.D. program, visit http://son.uth.tmc.edu/development/accelerated.htm. For information about enrolling in the program, call the school’s Student Affairs Office at 713-500-2100 or e-mail soninfo@uth.tmc.edu.