Fall 2004

Message from the Dean | Ethicon Endo-Surgery Supports New Mexico Nurses | Endowment Assists RN-to-BSN Students | Mercer to Receive Distinguished Alumni Award | Real Estate - A Great Asset in Charitable Planning | Events and Notes

By the time you receive our newsletter, we will have embarked on our 49th year as UNM’s College of Nursing. It has been a remarkable journey and one that couldn’t have happened without our graduates and teaching faculty. Nurses and nursing faculty really do have a hand in changing a significant part of our world.

Teachers are absolutely vital to preparing students for the health care industry and easing the serious shortage of nurses and nurse faculty. Being able to instruct the next generation of nurses is tremendously satisfying and rewarding. I know that the encouragement I received from my nursing professors nearly 40 years ago made a huge difference in my decision to further my education, become a teacher and researcher. Nursing faculty pass along important values and experience to future nurses.

The initial class of students 49 years ago was a group of 12, and this fall semester we are welcoming a record group of 104 Bachelor of Science (BSN) program students. In fact, our anticipated enrollment for all academic programs in nursing is just over 500 students. We have come a long way since 1955.

When you hear about the nursing shortage, not much is really said about the badly needed nursing instructors for universities and community colleges across our state. The average age of nursing faculty is 49 in the United States and 54 in New Mexico. We need our nursing graduates to consider joining the ranks of our faculty and there are many ways to do that.

We initiated the first Ph.D. in nursing program in New Mexico a year ago. These graduates will prepare future faculty. We have an extensive cadre of masters in nursing concentrations, including one in education that it is taught online. Wondering why all this education is necessary for teaching? National accreditation standards require that faculty in LPN, associate degree and bachelor of science in nursing programs must have a masters of science in nursing (MSN) degree. MSN students are taught by Ph.D. and MSN-prepared teachers.

As we enroll more students in our programs, building endowments to ensure support for is critically important. Just as we work to provide endowed scholarships for our nursing students, we also need to build those permanent funds for faculty to recruit and retain the best teachers.

Teaching can be a great way to give back and share all that has been learned in one’s practice as a nurse. Teachers really are the soul of a great academic program.

Sandra L. Ferketich, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean and Professor