New program designed to help remedy shortage of doctorally-prepared nursing faculty
The Ohio State University College of Nursing has launched the application for its new online Doctor of Nursing Education (DNE) degree program, the first such program in the United States.
National nursing faculty shortages inspired the new program at Ohio State; a nationwide nursing faculty vacancy rate of more than 10% is projected to increase in coming years.
“The shortage of faculty across the country is the major reason why colleges and schools of nursing have to limit their student enrollments,” said Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, APRN-CNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, vice president for health promotion, university chief wellness officer and dean of the College of Nursing. “We know that we must expand our capacity to meet the current and future needs of our profession and healthcare system. A major step in doing that is filling the gap we have in the number of highly-qualified, doctorally-prepared nursing faculty."
“Our world-renowned faculty are uniquely prepared to do that through our DNE program,” Melnyk continued. “We are so excited to welcome our first cohort of DNE students this January (Spring Semester 2023) who will learn the best evidence-based teaching methods and innovative strategies to prepare future generations of nurses well-equipped to dream, discover and deliver a healthier world.”
According to the American Nurses Association, “the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 194,500 average annual openings for registered nurses between 2020 and 2030, with employment projected to grow 9%.” However, as of 2020, “the median age of RNs was 52 years, with more than one-fifth indicating intent to retire from nursing over the next five years … the pandemic has accelerated this trend.”
The American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) published a report in 2020 that noted that “U.S. nursing schools turned away 80,407 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2019 due to insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space and clinical preceptors, as well as budget constraints.”
Ohio State’s online DNE program will feature two specializations to address two major theatres of nursing instruction and growth:
- Academic Nursing Education: Developed for nurses with earned master’s degrees who seek to teach in college or university-level academic nursing programs to prepare nurses for clinical practice at all levels
- Nursing Professional Development: Targeted to master’s-level nursing professional development practitioners (NPDs) who seek doctoral preparation to educate nurses in healthcare settings to enhance outcomes
“We have designed our DNE program with the needs of both our students and our society in mind,” said Tara Spalla King, PhD, RN, director of the College of Nursing’s DNE program. “Students matriculating in the program will dive into evidence-based principles of teaching and learning to inform the development, design, implementation and evaluation of both nursing education and practice so they can guide future generations to transform the healthcare system.”
“The future of nursing will require innovative, creative, courageous educators and practitioners who can respond to the evolving needs of our population,” said Tara O’Brien, PhD, RN, CNE, co-director of the DNE program. “That’s why we incorporate a depth and breadth of evidence-based content in our new DNE, including practicum hours and a focus on health and wellness – that prepare expert nursing educators for both classroom and clinical settings.”
Here is how the application cycles will work as the online DNE program launches:
- The current application cycle is for applicants looking to start the program in January 2023. That application closes on October 1, 2022.
- The next application cycle will open on October 2 for prospective students who would like to start the program in Autumn Semester 2023. That application will close on March 1, 2023.
