On Jan. 26, California State University Board of Trustees met to consider proposals from the CSU system for the Doctor of Nursing Practice program; unfortunately, Sacramento State was not one of the CSUs selected.

Sac State submitted a proposal to the chancellor’s office to be considered for the Doctor of Nursing Practice program with hopes to grow the nursing division, as well as to fulfill the shortage of nurses of the doctorate level.

Last year, it was implemented that California was facing a critical demand for nurses. With this news, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed AB 867, allowing CSU campuses to offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree to prepare nursing faculty for the CSU and community nursing programs.

The U.S. Bureau of Health Professionals estimates a shortage of more than 100,000 nurses in California alone in 10 years, according to the CSU’s Office of Public Affairs. The reason being a limited number of available spots in California nursing programs, which is in relation to the limited number of individuals qualified to work as nursing faculty.

Now that the Doctor of Nursing Practice programs are in effect, it is determined by CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed and the Legislature which CSUs are adequate to begin these nursing doctoral programs.

According to the CSU administration, Reed’s decision was determined by the need and feasibility of each CSU. He also considered the accessibility of resources to be sufficient enough to establish and maintain the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Reed also looked for professional academic affairs and regional accreditation, as well as recommendation of the California Post Secondary Education Commission.

“I understand and support the chancellor’s office’s decision. I do hope we will have a chance in the future to be considered for a nursing doctoral program,” said Carolynn Goetze, the nursing division chair.

According to the Academic Affairs office, with recent budget cuts, Sac State faces a shortage of faculty as it is. The nursing division suffers a profound shortage in faculty, and it is most critical at the doctorate level. With Sac State facing a severe shortage in nursing faculty, nursing programs are unable to significantly increase enrollments, limiting the ability of the educational systems to respond to the nursing shortage as a whole.

Recently the nursing division moved into Folsom Hall. The move provides a more efficient space to educate nursing students and allowing the nursing program to further grow and meet the needs of the continuous shortage of nurses said Victor Takahashi, Director of Facilities Planning and Construction Services.

Although Sac State was ineligible for the possibility of offering a Doctor of Nursing Practice program, the nursing faculty was understanding about Reed’s decision and remained positive for a future program.

Goetze said terms of the legislation, driving the nursing doctoral programs on other CSU campuses, will need to be met by 2018. Therefore Sac State hopes to be considered to offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice program by then if not sooner.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office has further discussed the Doctor of Nursing Practice program and is hopeful more CSUs will be able to implement this program to help prepare more faculties to train more nurses to meet the state’s critical shortage.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office is an unbiased group that provides fiscal and policy information to the public, as well as offer advice to the Legislature.

Six CSU campuses will begin the Doctor of Nursing Practice programs in the spring of 2012. Two of the programs will be offered jointly by multiple CSU campuses: Fresno State and San Jose State in the north, and CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach and CSU Los Angeles in the south. San Diego State will have a standalone program. Reed said the Doctor of Nursing Practice program will result in a 10 percent increase in tuition.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office recommends that the Legislature further expand these possible programs in the Annual Budget Act. Judy Heiman, The Legislative Analyst’s reporter, also suggest that in order to expand these Doctor in Nursing Practice programs to other campuses, specified conditions should be publicized &- such as the availability of enrollment growth or redirected funding, a sustainable level of requirements for programs and consider other possible ways to meet that demand like multi&-campus programs, off&-campus and online options.

The program is meant to build on the CSU faculty expertise and campus resources based on the existing nursing departments. With hope to grow and further expand the nursing division at Sac State, Goetze said she looks forward to another chance of being considered for a Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the future at Sac State.

For more information regarding the Doctor of Nursing Practice program throughout the CSU system, please contact Erik Fallis at the CSU Public Affairs office at (562) 951-4800.

Yvette Villasenor can be reached at [email protected]