FL nursing school fosters minority PhDs

The University of South Florida College of Nursing has kicked off a program intended to increase the number of minorities entering teaching with a doctoral degree. To accomplish its goals, USF is working with historically black colleges across Florida. Five nursing instructors from Bethune-Cookman College joined USF's Doctorate of Nursing Practice program this semester, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The program is funded by a $450,838 extension of a $1.28 million SUCCEED Florida Career Education Grant, which launched USF's Doctorate of Nursing program last year. USF's own doctoral program now has 30 students, expected to graduate in summer 2007. According to the dean of USF's program, minorities currently represent 8.7 percent of all nursing faculty and 6.8 percent of nursing school deans.

With any luck, programs like this will help to address the shortage of well-trained faculty available to train nurses. However, it won't do anything to address the fact that nursing instructors aren't paid as well as practicing nurses. Time for a salary level review, deans?

For more background on the initiative:
- read this article in the Tampa Bay Business Journal