Early Admission Decision application deadline: June 8, 2012
Final application deadline: July 23, 2012
The semester begins: September 4, 2012

RMUoHP’s Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in Nursing is designed with the belief that nursing is a professional discipline, grounded in science and based on a unique body of knowledge. The body of knowledge can be applied, expanded, and validated through accepted methods of scholarly inquiry. The graduate will be a skilled researcher and sophisticated consumer of knowledge generated through research. Graduates will be socially responsible, competent, and innovative researchers, educators, and leaders who understand and appreciate the financial, political, clinical, and social factors that influence care models and population-based delivery systems. The central element of the program is the completion of a dissertation that incorporates original research and advances knowledge in the area of concentration. Courses are designed to expand scientific inquiry and outcomes assessment, enhance research and consultation skills, and improve teaching and administrative expertise. This Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing program is ideally suited and structured for the nurse working in research, academia, administration, or in a clinical capacity and is tailored to link program goals with individual research interests. Nurses (RN or BSN degree holders) with a master’s degree in nursing are eligible for the program.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing is committed to the development of the nursing professional who can:

• Conduct and disseminate clinically sound, cost-effective independent and interdisciplinary research;
• Produce quality grant proposals that can compete for available research funding;
• Critically evaluate and synthesize literature and integrate with current best evidence to improve nursing practice, education, and policy development;
• Communicate research findings to lay and professional audiences and identify implications for policy, nursing practice, and the profession;
• Effectively educate patients/clients, families, students, and other health care professionals, and the general public; and
• Enhance leadership abilities in the profession of nursing, including competence in the roles of researcher, educator, and clinician.