UB Nursing School Adding Doctoral Program in Nursing To Address New York State's, Nation's Shortage of Nurses

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The School of Nursing at the University at Buffalo is adding a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in nursing degree program to its curricula in response to the critical shortage of nursing faculty in New York State and the nation.

The degree, which will be offered this fall, will prepare nurse scientists and academicians to meet the nursing-education needs of the state and the nation, according to Jean K. Brown, associate dean and associate professor in the nursing school

The dearth of the nursing labor market has been linked directly to the shortage of faculty needed to prepare students, Brown says. Faculty shortages at nursing schools across the country, she notes, have contributed to the overall decline in new enrollments at a time when the need for nurses continues to expand -- a dismal trend that is expected to grow.

"The only way to assure there will be adequate nurses in the future is to make certain that there are sufficient numbers of nursing faculty today," Brown says. "If potential nurses cannot be educated at the undergraduate level because of the short supply of faculty, an endless, intensifying cycle of nursing shortages at all levels is sure to have a dramatic effect on our nation's health care."

While the UB School of Nursing has been responding to labor market pressures for additional RNs and advance-practice nurses, "it has not lost sight of the critical need to increase the flow of highly qualified RNs into nursing education," Brown says.

Nurses may enter the Ph.D. program at the completion of the baccalaureate degree, after 24 credits of master's study or post-masters. The curriculum consists of a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the master's degree. The major components of the curriculum are foundation, research and elective courses supportive of the dissertation and research role, and dissertation guidance.

The Ph.D. program is a logical extension of the expertise the school has developed during 15 years of offering a professional Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS)degree program, Brown says. Those interested in applying may contact Brown at 716-829-2210.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York.