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TWU
College of Nursing receives $600,000 federal grant for DNP
program
7/30/08
DENTON/DALLAS
— Texas Woman’s University’s College of
Nursing has been awarded a $614,959 federal grant for its
doctor of nurse practitioner (DNP) degree program.
The funds, to be
awarded over a three-year period by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration’s
(HRSA) Advanced Education Nursing Program, will be used to
improve access to TWU’s DNP for nurses serving rural
and underserved populations.
“This funding
allows us to reach out to master’s-level and advanced
practicing nurses in rural and underserved areas to encourage
them to enroll in the DNP program,” said Dr. Peggy Mancuso,
associate professor of nursing and director of the TWU DNP
program. “We also will have the capacity to reach students
in remote locations in Texas and surrounding states with the
use of technology enhanced education, including clustered
on-campus, online and digital video classes.”
TWU received approval
to offer the DNP program in 2007, and the first cohort of
16 DNP students began their classes at the TWU Dallas-Parkland
campus in June.
“The DNP
addresses the state and national need for nursing leaders
in advanced nursing practice roles and advanced nursing practice
education,” said Dr. Patricia Holden-Huchton, dean of
the TWU College of Nursing. “With this funding, the
DNP program can begin to address a critical need of care in
rural areas and with underserved populations.”
TWU’s DNP
program is based at the TWU Dallas-Parkland campus, with support
courses offered from the TWU Denton campus. The degree requires
46 credit hours and can be completed in two years. Nurse practitioners
and nurse midwives who have a master’s degree in nursing,
are certified in their specialty area, are licensed as registered
nurses and are recognized or eligible to be recognized as
an APN in Texas may apply to the Graduate School for the DNP
program. Admission requirements are detailed on the TWU College
of Nursing website at www.twu.edu/nursing.
“The DNP
is designed to address the need for more highly educated nurses
in the country’s increasingly technological-based healthcare
system,” said Dr. Caryl Mobley, associate dean of nursing
at TWU’s Dallas-Parkland campus. “Nurses who want
to pursue doctoral education can choose between a Ph.D., which
is research focused, and a DNP, which is the highest level
of specialty clinical practice. Both degrees prepare nurses
for positions as nursing faculty.”
According to Dr. Mobley, as a practice doctorate, the DNP
is similar to several other degrees in health disciplines
such as psychology (PsyD), pharmacy (PharmD), physical therapy
(DPT), social work (DSW) and medicine (M.D.). Several prestigious
national healthcare organizations have called for a nursing
practice doctorate to improve the country’s healthcare
system. In a 2005 report, the National Academy of Sciences
urged the development of a clinical doctoral degree in nursing
similar to the M.D. and PharmD in medicine and pharmacy. The
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) also adopted
a position statement in 2004 recommending that nurses practicing
at the highest level should receive doctoral level preparation.
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With more than
13,000 alumni and more than 2,300 undergraduate and graduate
students in Denton, Dallas and Houston, TWU has the largest
college of nursing in Texas and produces more new nurses than
any other program in the state. According to the American
Association of Colleges of Nursing, TWU’s College of
Nursing is the fifth-largest in the U.S., and the TWU nursing
doctoral program is the largest in the country.
For more information, visit www.twu.edu.
Media
Contact:
Amanda Simpson
Director of News and Information
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: asimpson1@twu.edu |
