“A lot of nurses have community ties and work extended hours. This way they can attend school without worrying about missing work.”
— Paulette Burns

Nursing school to offer online degree
By Marci King
Staff Reporter

TCU’s Harris School of Nursing will use a new grant and an online master’s degree program to try and fill the need for more nursing faculty in rural areas, said Paulette Burns, director of the Harris School of Nursing.

TCU will use a $166,000 grant from the Texas Coordinating Board of Higher Education to recruit and train nurses, according to a press release. Among the universities involved in the program are Tarleton State University, Vernon College, Angelina College, Kilgore College and Panola College.

The program is designed to cater to the needs of each community, Burns said.
“A lot of schools don’t offer this type of degree,” Burns said. “This program provides an outlet for rural colleges to fill needed (faculty) positions.”

The program is offered online which provides convenience and accessibility to nurses that may be geographically bound, Burns said.

“A lot of nurses have community ties and work extended hours,” Burns said. “This way they can attend school without worrying about missing work.”

Amy Comolli, a senior nursing major, said she thinks the program offers a variety of educational options to students that they otherwise may not have. Although Comolli praised the program, she said because she is a TCU student she would not consider the program as an option for her upper level education.

“I think it is better to go to another university for your master’s degree so you can diversify and broaden your horizons,” Comolli said.

Elaine Evans, department head of nursing at Tarleton State University, said she hopes the program will increase the number of faculty available.

“If we don’t increase faculty we can’t increase enrollment,” Evans said.

The program calls for each school to recruit two or three students from around their respective communities, preferably their graduates, Evans said.

The program will enroll its first 10 students in the fall 2002, Burns said.

“Our number one goal is to help nurses get their master’s degree so they can get back out there and fill nursing faculty positions,” Burns said.

Nurses already holding associate degrees will receive their master’s degree in three years, while nurses holding bachelor degrees will receive their master’s degree in two years, according to the press release. The Harris School of Nursing will continue to admit students on a yearly basis and work to expand the program to other rural universities, according to the press release.

Marci King
m.l.king@student.tcu.edu

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