The UNM College of Nursing has a new Ph.D. program this semester focused on trying to alleviate the shortage of nurses in New Mexico.
The first class of students will begin courses this fall, said Marie Lobo, nursing professor and chairwoman of the doctorate program committee.
The program is the first of its kind in New Mexico and has 11 students enrolled.
Lobo said the program's emphasis is on developing scholars so nurses will be educated to teach, research or practice through their studies.
"The goal of the program is to meet the nursing needs of the state," Lobo said.
Lobo said the program entails about three years of full-time study.
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Sandra Ferketich, dean of the College of Nursing, said the program is focused on preparing nursing students to teach in the field so the School of Nursing can take more students.
"We have an inadequate number of faculty members within nursing education programs in New Mexico and therefore cannot teach as many people as are needed," Ferketich said in a University news release.
Ferketich said the program received approval by the New Mexico Board of Finance last month. She said the program also has received approval by the New Mexico Commission on Higher Education and the UNM Board of Regents.
The program is vital to meeting New Mexico's medical needs because doctorate nurses are the ones who train the faculty members who in turn train the state's nurses, Ferketich said.
"There is a widespread shortage of nurses in New Mexico, but that stems back to a severe lack of teachers in the field," Lobo said. "This program should go a long way in solving the problem by attacking it at its source."
There are 11 percent fewer qualified nurses in New Mexico than needed to meet the medical needs of the state, according to the University news release.
Lobo said one of the reasons behind the shortage is before the new doctorate program existed at UNM, nurses had to leave the state to pursue the degree.
Lobo said less than half of the nurses who left the state to pursue a doctorate degree returned to work in New Mexico.
The focus of the program will be nursing education, knowledge development in providing care for rural and underserved populations and improvement of the nursing care of individuals in border states and international settings, Ferketich said.
Ferketich said the program will also aim to improve nursing care outcomes of individuals and families, with an emphasis on women and children.
