PhD in nursing program marks 25 years of skill building, research activity

PhD in nursing program marks 25 years of skill building, research activity

Alumni of the PhD in Nursing program consider themselves lifetime learners - and that's even after racking up reams of other accolades in their careers.

Its first graduate 25 years ago is doing so even in semi-retirement.

"My dad was my inspiration," said Dr. Billie Rhea Phillips, who defended her dissertation in the program via overhead projector in the same building in which she appeared Thursday. Some of her fellow alumni gathered to mark the program's silver anniversary.

"He worked as an engineer for the Department of Commerce so we moved about the world a lot - Although he didn't have a chance to attend college, he valued education."

Phillips, of Knoxville, Tennessee, retired in 2020 as an associate dean of nursing at South College in her home state. The rewards of caring are still reaped today, as she works as a part-time care manager with Nuclear Care Partners in nearby Oak Ridge.

"My goal was always to teach; it wasn't ever to get a PhD," said Phillips. "But as life would have it, I became eager for the knowledge and the skill set the PhD would bring to my nursing career."

Offered through the School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences, the PhD in nursing is a clinical research degree, taught by School of Nursing faculty. A program for exceptional students, the program integrates the exploration of a clinically-based question into the relationship-intensive plan of study, which can be completed in five years or less.

Applicants with advanced nursing degrees are welcome, including those with a Bachelor of Science in nursing, a Master of Science in nursing or a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. Study plans include formal coursework, research, practicum and electives, all of which are offered in person or a hybrid format.

"What sets the program apart is that at its foundation is the intersection of discovery and practice," said Dr. Sydney Murphy, dean of the graduate school. "The program has consistently prepared nurse scientists who translate complex scientific questions into meaningful improvements in patient outcomes and community engagement."

Students must pass a comprehensive examination before entering into candidacy and conducting dissertation research. Degree requirements also include a first-authored publication in a peer-reviewed national or international journal.

"We have collaborative relationship with the graduate school," said Dr. Tina Martin, dean of the School of Nursing. "I appreciate the support we have from them."

A full day of panel discussions and campus tours in and around the Medical Center were a "day of celebration" for attendees to find out what faculty and students are accomplishing and flesh out the "vision for the future," Martin said. She added the program has graduated 45 students since 2001.

A panel of alumni pondered questions about what led them to pursue the doctoral program and how it has helped build skills of fellow nurses, among other topics.

"It was to gain the skill set and not necessarily the degree," said Dr. Jonathan Wilson, chief administrative officer for the Medical Center and a registered nurse since 1999. "It made logical sense to pursue it to have more options from a nursing career standpoint. The research element to it allowed me to think like a researcher."

Erica Roberts, a registered nurse in the labor and delivery unit at Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants and a mother of six, is completing a PhD in nursing science via the BSN-to-PhD route.

"I've always been a 'why' asker," Roberts said. "I had a personal experience with the birth of my fifth child that made me question some big 'why' questions - mainly how I can affect my patients' outcomes. I asked myself how could I make this bigger than just bedside care."

Phillips took home a gift bag from SON and said during the run-up to Thursday her students' own stories of connecting with patients are her biggest takeaway from her 31 years of teaching.

"It's not just imparting the skill," she said. "It's that we often have but one chance to interact with people that only a few people get to do. They're having a baby or maybe just doing pre-ops - but each is at their own vulnerable moment. Students still call me back even today and say they had a special moment of caring with them today."

Alumni and others also toured sites of interest as part of the day's events, including the new School of Nursing building under construction and the UMMC Museum of Medical History.

A self-made scrapbook of campus life donated to the museum by retired nurse Jeanette Waits, a 1957 SON alumna, was the centerpiece of a collection that includes vintage uniforms and "invalid cups" and porcelain dosage cups that held about a teaspoon of meds. Both were commonplace in the days before disposable medical equipment.

"The invalid cups were used before straws came into use," Waits said. "We'd use them for water and liquid medication before meds in pill form were common. We used to have to disinfect syringes in boiling water."