St. Cloud (Minn.) State University and the University of Minnesota are working to advance primary care services in rural communities by developing a new Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree program, according to a Dec. 1 news release.
"Our graduates have been asking for quite some time about doctoral education at St. Cloud State University; it's not something we currently offer in our nursing program," Jane Bagley, PhD, RN, chair of SCSU's nursing department, told local radio station KNSI. "Our graduates, as well as other registered nurses in this immediate area, have been asking for graduate nursing opportunities."
The first cohort will start in the fall of 2021. Enrolled students will complete program courses led by faculty from the University of Minnesota School of Nursing and about 900 clinical hours at St. Cloud-based CentraCare Health affiliates. A faculty liaison from SCSU will work with the St. Cloud cohort, and by 2025, the university plans to lead a DNP program independently.
The program will begin with six graduate students, Dr. Bagley told KNSI.
Some communities in the Central Minnesota region are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, and this collaboration is an effort to ease the care gap, according to the release.