by Anna Hampton
Daily Lobo
The first nurse to earn a Ph.D. at UNM's nursing school said the reality of her accomplishment is still sinking in.
Marie Mugavin earned the first doctorate from the College of Nursing this month, marking the end of a three-year effort.
"I did a very intense project," she said. "I'm still coming down from that."
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For her dissertation, Mugavin said she wanted to work with people with vulnerable personalities.
She interviewed women in New Mexico who are incarcerated for child abuse or child homicide in an attempt to catalog warning signs for such violence.
Mugavin interviewed two groups of women in the prison system. One group was made up of women who had severely beaten their children, while the other consisted of women who had killed their children.
Mugavin said she wanted to find common traits in mothers who are prone to violence.
"An incredible outcome would be to have an assessment tool for mothers at risk," she said.
Mugavin said the experience helped teach her how to interact with vulnerable individuals.
"You have to empathize and have patience to be a good teacher," she said. "This was a life-enhancing experience."
After she defended her dissertation, Mugavin joined the nursing faculty as an assistant professor.
Susan Fox, associate dean for the office of Community Partnerships and Practice at the college, said Mugavin's completion of her dissertation will allow the school to attract more students.
"Dr. Mugavin's graduation
provides evidence of success of our educational program and shows potential students that the program can lead to learning the research process and employment in a meaningful situation," she said.
Mugavin said UNM's excellent faculty members helped her complete the program and will continue to expand her knowledge as
colleagues.
"They are very committed to the work they do," she said. "I'll need their mentorship."
Mugavin began working on her doctorate when the program began in 2003.
"I really feel like I earned my degree," she said. "It takes discipline and sacrifice."
Though she will use her first year to continue research for her dissertation, Mugavin is excited to enter a classroom environment, she said.
"What I think could help is I feel really excited and passionate about my experience, and I think that rubs off," she said.
Fox said the nursing program will put more nurses in New Mexico.
"Before UNM's program, there was no Ph.D. program in nursing in the state," Fox said. "With the current and increasingly dire nursing and nursing faculty shortage, we now have a way to educate nurse researchers and educators."
With her doctorate, Mugavin has more research freedom than she would with a master's degree, she said.
Fox said 18 other students are working on their dissertations toward the same degree. The doctorate requires 69 credit hours, 51 of course work and 18 hours of dissertation work.
Fox said the first graduate of the program is a major accomplishment for the school of nursing.
"Particularly for those who toiled for years to get the program established and those faculty who have taught and mentored her," she said.
