PSU first doctoral students hit the books
Tuesday, June 2, 2015 2:00 AM
News
Pittsburg, KS
As the first 16 students in Pittsburg State University’s first doctoral program got to work this week, they were often reminded of the historic significance of the occasion.
The first cohort of students in the Irene Ransom Bradley School of Nursing’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program began their studies, taking a break on Tuesday for lunch and words of welcome from PSU administrators.
“This really is a historic day,” said Mary Carol Pomatto, director of the School of Nursing. “It is the culmination of many years of planning and preparation and the beginning of a new chapter in Pittsburg State University’s already rich history of nursing education.”
PSU President Steve Scott, Provost Lynette Olson, Dean of Arts and Sciences Karl Kunkel, and Dean of Graduate and Continuing Studies Pawan Kahol all welcomed the students before they headed off to classrooms throughout McPherson Hall.
Two of the 16 are siblings, Patricia Sullivan, a nurse practitioner in Pittsburg; and her brother, Shawn Raymond, a nurse practitioner in Eureka, Kan.
“She kind of pushed me,” Raymond said of his sister. “She had been talking about it for a long time and finally, a few months ago, I decided to do it.”
Sullivan and Raymond both have multiple degrees from PSU. Sullivan said she loves Pitt State and was happy to learn about the planning for the DNP program.
“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time,” Sullivan said. “When I found out they were planning the DNP program, I wanted to do it here.”
Like most of the other students in the program, Sullivan and Raymond both plan to continue working while they study.
“A lot of us are working,” Sullivan said. “You have to be self motivated.”
For more on PSU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program, visit the Irene Ransom Bradley School of Nursing website at www.pittstate.edu/nursing and click on the Doctor of Nursing practice link.