The California State University (CSU) is seeking the authority to award the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. Assemblymen Pedro Nava (District 35) and Juan Arambula (District 31) have agreed to coauthor the DNP bill for the 2009 Legislative Session. Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani is principal co-author.
The proposal legislation:
- Modifies the Education Code to authorize the CSU to offer DNP programs
- DNP programs will train future CSU and California Community College faculty
- In addition, through this proposed legislation, the CSU will train advanced practice nurses (for example, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, or midwives) to the doctoral level.
- DNP programs will enable professionals to earn the degree while working full time.
- DNP degree will be distinguished from the research-based doctoral degrees at the University of California and modeled after the CSU Education Doctorate (EdD) program approved by the Legislature in 2005. (SB 724; Chapter 269, 2005).
Need:
- The nursing shortage is in crisis proportion. The nation still needs over one million nurses. (AACN, October 2008) The California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) forecasted that California faces a registered nurse (RN) shortage ranging between 10,294 and 59,027 full time equivalent RNs in 2007.
- At the national level, in 2006, 42,866 qualified nursing applicants could not enroll in nursing schools because of nursing faculty shortage. (American Assn. Colleges of Nursing, AACN Fact Sheet, October 2008)
- In California, in 2007-2008, 33,296 qualified applicants were not accepted in schools of nursing due to faculty shortage. (Reference: CA Board of Registered Nursing Study 2007-08)
- Only 12 % of nursing faculty throughout USA holds doctoral degrees. (CA Board of Registered Nurse Study 2007-2008) Nursing faculty positions go unfilled because of the limited supply of nurses with doctoral degrees. According to the BRN Annual School Report, CA RN programs reported a vacancy rate of 6.6 percent or 192 faculty vacancies in 2005-2006.
- By 2015, all nursing schools that offer nurse practitioner programs have to offer doctoral degrees --either a Ph.D. or a DNP in order to be accredited. Our nursing program at CSULB is the largest nurse practitioner program in California. If we do not offer the DNP degree, our program will be subject to closure. (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. This is our national accrediting body.)
For additional information contact Dr. Elena Macías at emacias@csulb.edu or 562-985-8816
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