JOHNSON CITY – The Tennessee Board of Regents and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission have given the final approval for a new Doctor of Science in Nursing (D.S.N.) program at East Tennessee State University. Officials with the College of Nursing plan to admit the first class of doctoral students in the summer of 2002.
According to Dr. Joellen Edwards, ETSU dean of nursing, the program will prepare students for careers as practitioners, health care administrators or nursing educators, and emphasize clinically focused research aimed at reducing health disparities in rural and underserved population groups.
With a nationwide deficit of nurses, Edwards says this doctoral program comes at a crucial time.
“There is a critical need for nurses across the nation and particularly in our own region,” she emphasized. “In Tennessee, there are 9.2 registered nurses per 1,000 people, while in rural areas, that ratio drops to 5.3. However, in Northeast Tennessee, the ratio is only 4.7 R.N.s for every 1,000 persons.
“But, the nationwide nursing shortage extends well beyond hospitals and health centers,” she said. “Academic institutions are also feeling the effects of the shortage as many are struggling to fill faculty positions with nurses who hold a terminal degree. This program will help address the growing shortage of nursing faculty.”
Full-time students will spend approximately three years in the doctoral program, which includes courses, practice residency activities, and a dissertation. ETSU graduates some 100 nurses each year through its Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) program and also offers the area's only master's degree in nursing. Students pursuing the M.S.N. can become an adult, family or gerontological nurse practitioner or specialize in nursing administration.
Of those students who have graduated from ETSU with the M.S.N. degree, 73 percent are now practicing in a rural or underserved area, Edwards added.
Both the B.S.N. and M.S.N. programs are fully accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. The College of Nursing also enrolls more than 100 students in its R.N.-B.S.N. transition programs at sites in Johnson City, Kingsport, Greeneville, Bristol and Cleveland.
For more information, call (423) 439-7051.