Expediting Doctoral Education on the Eastern

Shore of Maryland

Lisa A. Seldomridge, PhD, RNDirector of Graduate and Second Degree Nursing Programs

This work was supported by a Nurse Support II Grant from the Maryland Higher Education Commission under the auspices of the

HSCRC.

Project Goals• Increase access to doctoral education on the

Eastern Shore– Offer post-master’s DNP program via distance

learning strategies.

• Expedite completion of the DNP– Develop two entry options

• Post-MS to DNP-Leadership or FNP• Post-BS to DNP-FNP

• Increase statewide capacity for doctoral students through the use of distance and web-based technologies.

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Timeline

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July 2012 MHEC NSP-2 grant began

Fall 2012 Post-MS to DNP started; n = 10

All courses distance accessible

Fall 2013 2013-Received ~$1.1M HRSA AENT funds

Fall 2014 Post-BS to DNP started; n = 8

Monthly DNP Community of Scholars videoconferences

Spring 2015

Additional post-BS to DNP students admitted; n = 3

CCNE accreditation site visit

May 2015 Graduation of 8 post-MS to DNP students

Current Enrollments

Post-MS to DNP-Leadership, N = 21 is faculty at a Maryland college1 is an FNP

Post-MS to DNP-FNP, N = 95 are faculty at Maryland colleges

Post-BS to DNP-FNP, N = 14

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Demographics of our DNP students

• May 2015 graduates– 25% from under-represented groups

• 12.5% Latina• 12.5% male

• Current students– 50% from under-represented groups

• 37.5% African American• 4.2% Asian• 8.4 % male

– 62.5% are SU alumni5

Keys to Success

• First-rate instructional designer• Exceptional project team

– 17/22 full-time nursing faculty – 6 extraordinary adjunct faculty

• HRSA AENT award• Monthly meetings

– Course development/review– Determination of deliverables– Curriculum mapping

• QualityMatters TM training6

Pleasant surprises

• Late-adopters did extraordinary things!

• Interprofessional collaboration set stage for University Graduate Exchange initiative

• Established value of dedicated instructional designer

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Challenges• First SU doctoral program

– Policies for doctoral students– Support services– DNP Projects

• Format for presentations• Final deliverables

• Distance education snafus• Curriculum progression planning• Faculty turnover

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Next StepsContinue curriculum revisionsTrack outcomes by entry optionManage demands for NP practicum sitesUndergo QualityMatters TM peer review

9www.salisbury.edu/nursing/dnp

Dissemination

• Willey, J.A. & Seldomridge, L.A. (2015). Using the Tools of Technology to Increase Access to Doctoral Education. Sigma Theta Tau International Biennial Conference, November, Las Vegas, NV.

• Seldomridge, L.A. & Willey, J.A. (2015) Best Practices in Distance Education-Technology as a Tool - not a Teacher. AACN Doctoral Education Conference, January, San Diego CA.

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