TAMU-CC steps by degrees to Doctor of Nursing Practice

CORPUS CHRISTI – Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is one step closer to offering a Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree (DNP). The Texas A&M System Board of Regents approved a new online DNP degree for the University and the proposal now goes before the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Students would do the majority of their course work online, but would also have to complete 1,000 hours of clinical work.

If approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Island University DNP will be the only one south of San Antonio and only the second one in the Texas A&M System.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the United States is short 20,000 doctors now, and is expected to face even larger shortages as nearly half of the nation’s physicians near retirement.

South Texas has the highest incidence in Texas of several preventable diseases like diabetes and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, listeriosis, and dengue fever. To make matters worse, of all South Texas counties, 16 have a shortage of primary care clinicians, while others have areas that are medically underserved.

Read more at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.