Expediting Doctoral Education on the Eastern Shore of Maryland Lisa A. Seldomridge, PhD, RN Director 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. 2

Timeline 3 July 2012MHEC NSP-2 grant began Fall 2012Post-MS to DNP started; n = 10 All courses distance accessible Fall Received ~$1.1M HRSA AENT funds Fall 2014Post-BS to DNP started; n = 8 Monthly DNP Community of Scholars videoconferences Spring 2015Additional post-BS to DNP students admitted; n = 3 CCNE accreditation site visit May 2015Graduation of 8 post-MS to DNP students

Current Enrollments  Post-MS to DNP-Leadership, N = 2  1 is faculty at a Maryland college  1 is an FNP  Post-MS to DNP-FNP, N = 9  5 are faculty at Maryland colleges  Post-BS to DNP-FNP, N = 14 4

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 alumni 5

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 training 6

Pleasant surprises Late-adopters did extraordinary things! Interprofessional collaboration set stage for University Graduate Exchange initiative Established value of dedicated instructional designer 7

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 8

Next Steps  Continue curriculum revisions  Track outcomes by entry option  Manage demands for NP practicum sites  Undergo QualityMatters TM peer review 9

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. 10