A new major in School of Nursing allows students to become women’s health nurse practitioners.
Funded by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration—part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services—the women’s health nurse practitioner major will enroll its first class starting spring 2015.The WHNP serves to provide nurse practitioners with specialized knowledge in women's health, preparing them for career opportunities in multiple fields including correctional health, clinical pharmacotherapy and private practice.
It is not often that Duke adds a new major with funding from the federal government, said Kathy Trotter, assistant professor at the School of Nursing. When HRSA opened up another round of applications for its Advanced Nursing Education program last Fall, Trotter said she jumped at the chance to propose her ideas for the WHNP.
“I’ve had the idea for about six or seven years,” Trotter said. “At that time we didn’t think there’d be a market.”
The Women's Health proposal was one of many submitted in the application process. Trotter said that each university can only choose one application to send to HRSA, making it a tough process to participate in.
Trotter submitted the proposal in January 2014, and heard back from HRSA in July.
“It was [extremely] good: one, I got to represent Duke and put in a proposal, and two, it was successfully funded,” Trotter said of hearing the proposal had been accepted.
WHNP nurses will study alongside physicians’ assistants and physical therapy students to enhance interdisciplinary learning, Trotter said.
“This helps [WHNP students] establish team roles and understand different health care providers by working with them and learning with them,” Trotter said.
The WNHP is also a distance-based major, meaning that the program is already attracting applications from prospective students across the country. Students can complete coursework online and then fulfill their clinical work locally—with a visit to Duke Campus once a semester—for intensive study. Trotter hopes these on-campus opportunities will also create a more tight-knit community between the WHNP major and the University.
“When you live in Ohio and you don’t get to walk down the quad, this is your chance to come down and enjoy the cultural activities as well as class time and simulation time,” she said.
The School of Nursing is aiming for an incoming class size of eight to 10 students in 2015. Subsequent years will lead to a gradual expansion of the program, Trotter said. As one of the few women’s health nurse practitioner programs in the nation, Duke’s new major is an important addition to the southeast region, she added.
“One of the best things is there will be more health care providers who can care for women and their unique healthcare needs,” Trotter said. “Over 70 percent of patient care visits are women, and they make health care decisions for their family so I think it’s important they get the quality healthcare they need, with providers who are focused on them as unique individuals.”
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