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III. Exemplars of Collaboration
Between Academic Institutions
to Offer the DNP
To date, two examples of academic collaboration exist.
As more DNP programs are created, more exemplars of academic collaboration
will be added to the tool kit.
A. The Saint Xavier University/Rush
MSN-DNP Program
In May 2005, Rush University College of Nursing invited
St. Xavier School of Nursing (SXU) in Chicago (which is not authorized
to confer doctoral degrees) to explore the possibility of creating
a partnership to make the DNP degree program a potential opportunity
for their MSN graduates. At this juncture, this was a dean-to-dean
discussion between the two private universities.
The collaborative process described above was initiated,
and it was determined that collaboration with Rush would enable
SXU to offer a facilitated admission into doctoral education for
their MSN students. Two admission options would be possible: expedited
and qualified. Expedited admission is for a student who meets all
joint requirements, has maintained a 3.0 GPA at SXU, and has a strong
leadership background and project proposal. A place will be held
for one year while the student completes the SXU program. Qualified
admission is for a student who has good potential, but the application
process reveals that they need additional leadership preparation
to be ready for admission into the DNP program. "Bridge"
experiences would be created in which SXU faculty would work closely
with students to mentor them and place them in situations where
their leadership skills will grow. Upon completion of the SXU program,
students would be reviewed for admission to Rush.
The Rush DNP program is designed for master's prepared
nurses who wish to focus their careers on leadership and the business
of health care. The program prepares students to be leaders able
to effect change through system redesign and evidence-based decision
making in a variety of clinical, organizational, and educational
systems. The program is a two-year, part-time program offered online.
Students complete a systems change project that is relevant to their
career goals.
Facilitating the Process
Schools of Nursing that are authorized to confer
the DNP and have demonstrated a timely, tested, and positive experience
can seek out other institutions in the state that do not have authorization
to award the DNP degree. The authorized institution can invite the
latter institution to consider collaborating with them on a DNP
partnership. The host school will need to examine its curriculum
to determine the fit of its curriculum with that of the invited
partner school. The invited partner will need to examine its curriculum
and be willing to make changes to assure a better fit with the host
school.
Alternatively, a School of Nursing that is not authorized
to confer the DNP degree may contact an institution that is authorized
and experienced in the DNP program with the request for a collaborative
program. Different models of DNP collaboration may involve a number
of schools and colleges. Resources will determine the number.
Overall Process
Planning the Partnership
- Dean-to-dean discussion and agreement must
occur at the outset to establish common ground.
- Pending agreement, permission must be obtained
from top administration of both universities supporting the initiation
of this partnership.
- The planning work should be conducted by
a task force with key representatives from the respective institutions.
The deans would make these appointments.
- Subcommittees composed of members of the
institutions in the process should be appointed to work on curriculum
integration, admission procedures, financial aid, marketing, funding
sources, necessary resources and evaluation.
- A plan and process must be developed for
the faculties of the involved institutions to assure their role
as supportive resources of the DNP partnership. This could include
frequent faculty forums, "town hall meetings," departmental
meetings, and faculty senate meetings focusing on the new partnership
and allowing question and answer sessions with leadership. Confidential
surveys should be conducted to determine faculty support.
- A detailed plan including the timeline and
approval mechanisms of all institutions involved in the process
must be developed.
- A plan must be developed for introducing
the partnership(s) and its implications to the public including
local nursing professional organizations.
Win-Win for the Partners and Students
- For the non-doctoral degree granting institution,
the collaboration enables the school to offer a facilitated admission
into doctoral education for its undergraduate or graduate students.
- For the doctoral degree granting institution,
the collaboration provides early identification of qualified students
and increases the admissions to its doctoral program.
- For the students, the collaboration provides a
seamless way for focused students to achieve their career goals.
In addition, through early identification and review of materials,
students receive timely guidance on how to proceed. Application
paperwork is reduced and students pay one application fee.
B. Minnesota State Colleges
and Universities
The Journey in Minnesota: Future
of Doctoral Education in Nursing
Winona State University
In the Beginning
Minnesota nurse leaders in the late 1990s were well
aware of the registered nurse shortage based on openings that exceeded
over 2,200 positions within the health care systems across the state.
Concurrently, the demand to increase undergraduate educational capacity
was hampered by a lack of fiscal resources, qualified faculty, and
clinical placements for student learning opportunities. Minnesota's
nurse leaders and educators, higher education, healthcare systems,
communities and constituents rose to the challenge with the rest
of the nation to reverse the declining enrollments in baccalaureate
and higher degree nursing education. This response clearly placed
heavy demands on nurse educators and higher education in the state.
The nursing programs affiliated with the Minnesota State Colleges
and Universities (MnSCU) were aware of the aging of the nursing
faculty population and the need for increasing the master's and
doctoral prepared faculty to replace those retiring from the workforce.
Nurse leaders in MnSCU realized that continuation of "more
of the same" would not be prudent or sufficient to meet the
need of a critical mass of doctorally prepared nurses needed for
leadership roles in practice, research, and education.
A Note on a Minnesota Statute
Doctoral nursing education in Minnesota was provided
by one public institution as authorized by legislative statute.
It was clear to leaders in the state that the future demand for
doctoral prepared nurses in education and the healthcare systems
will be great and there will need to be an increase in the state's
capacity to prepare more nurses at the doctoral level in order to
meet health care and education needs in the state. The Minnesota
Association of Colleges of Nursing members, Minnesota Nurses' Association,
MnSCU Health Care - Industry Partnership, MnSCU Office of the Chancellor,
State University Presidents of MnSCU, graduate deans, and other
academic officers joined together to influence Minnesota legislators
about the urgent need for the MnSCU system universities to offer
doctoral programs. After three plus years of multiple constituents
advocating for a statute change, the passing of a 2005 statute provided
for MnSCU to offer applied doctoral degrees in education, business,
psychology, physical therapy, audiology and nursing.
The Doctorate of Nursing Practice Program Plan
Begins
The deans and directors of the MnSCU's graduate nursing
programs convened three meetings in Summer 2005 to plan a collaborative
DNP program to be delivered in the state among four geographically
separate, yet system united universities. Participants determined
that no one institution would or could offer the degree, but the
combine human, fiscal, university and system resources would be
feasible. This approach found favor among legislators, University
Presidents, and the Office of the Chancellor and was one of the
key factors in promoting statute approval. Participating universities
include Winona State University, Minnesota State University-Mankato,
Minnesota State University-Moorhead, and Metropolitan State University-St.
Paul. A MnSCU Office of the Chancellor special initiative grant
was awarded to the four partner universities for program planning
that was led by the four graduate program directors and an elected
faculty member from each of the nursing graduate programs. This
work group has met monthly with full day work sessions focused on
curriculum development and organizational structure for the delivery
of the collaborative DNP program.
Delivery of doctoral education will require new and
revised MnSCU system policies, procedures and guidelines. Subsequent
to the approval of the system policies and procedures by the Board
of Trustees, all four collaborating institutions will need to revise
their institutional mission, vision and purpose as well as its university
policies and procedures to prepare for the submission of an Application
for System Approval for the DNP. This is the first of the proposed
doctorate in the system. The application will allow for consultation,
assessment, and evaluation of the application with feedback in an
orderly and timely manner to meet the requirements and procedures
for program approval by the MnSCU Board of Trustees. Concurrent
with program approval, the Office of the Chancellor and each of
the degree granting institutions will be consulting with the Higher
Learning Commission: North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
(HLC) to prepare for a focus visit seeking action on change of affiliation
status. A new working draft dated February 2006 from the HLC Task
Force on the Professional Doctorate has recently been released and
may hold some interesting challenges for future HLC reviews and
focus visits.
Development at Present
A shared governance model is in development capitalizing
on the strengths of the MnSCU System and the respective collaborating
institutions that include a Governing Council of Administrators
to address administrative/organizational functions and a DNP Coordinating
Council that will be composed of graduate faculty with academic
appointments who work with the graduate schools at each of the collaborating
institutions on matters of admission, progression, and graduation
requirements. It is anticipated that a minimum of five students
will be admitted to each of the four collaborating institution for
a total of 20 students. A process for faculty selection (and/or
recruitment) based on selected criteria will be used to determine
program faculty among all four institutions. Program delivery will
be closely matched with the required
faculty expertise to deliver the program using a variety of technology
mediated approaches. Lastly, fiscal models are under consideration
and study to promote fiscal stability, high quality program outcomes,
and program sustainability.
A Work in Progress
The journey in Minnesota is a work in progress that
has a focus on MnSCU system development to authorize the granting
of doctoral degrees; multiple collaborating institutions undergoing
mission change and program offerings; nurse leaders and educators
stepping up to the challenge of meeting the critical need of doctoral
education in Minnesota; health systems awaiting the first graduates
to make a difference in our world; and potential students ready
to apply to the first cohort. There is great passion and commitment
to the development and creation of the DNP within the MnSCU system.
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