Nursing college to offer doctorates

The Spokane-based Intercollegiate College of Nursing will start a new doctorate program Tuesday with nine students.

Interim Dean Anne Hirsch said the research-based program aims to develop more nursing professors at a time when the country is short of the faculty needed to teach the popular and essential area of study.

All of this summer’s incoming students are experienced nurses or teachers who only have a master’s degree, she said.

“We really want to recruit young people into the Ph.D. program so they do have a longer teaching career,” Hirsch said.

The problem is, a nursing professor makes significantly less money than a practicing clinical nurse or nurse administrator, she said.

A research-based doctoral program often looks into how to better care for people with cancer, chronic illnesses and diabetes, or issues such as infertility and end-of-life care, Hirsch said.

The college plans to grow the four-year program to 46 students within four years, according to a Washington State University news release.

WSU’s Intercollegiate College of Nursing also includes Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University and Whitworth College.

Currently located in its own building near Spokane Falls Community College, the ICN is scheduled to move to a new building on the WSU Riverpoint Campus by January 2009.

The University of Washington, in Seattle, and Oregon Health & Science University, in Portland, have the region’s only other research-based nursing doctoral programs.