CONTACT - Volume 8, Number 2
Happenings in the Ph.D. Program

Doctoral Students' "Rites of Passage"

This time of the academic year is dominated by a flurry of activities associated with doctoral students' "rites of passage." Academic "rites of passage" are a series of professional transitions, all of which are characterized by a change in status, and the assumption of new roles.

The first transition is acceptance into the doctoral program. This "rite of passage" is typically accompanied by intense feelings of honor and pride, and rightfully so, because those who are accepted have already attained a measure of academic and professional success. Additionally, they have been selected because of their potential to make significant contributions to nursing practice through nursing science. Indeed, they stand out from their peers. The pursuit of doctoral studies represents a major commitment of time, energy and resources. It requires a return to the status of "student" and an adjustment in life style. The pursuit of the doctorate is very much a personal journey.

The enthusiasm, motivation and excitement of students who are beginning their doctoral work in nursing creates an air of optimism and esprit de corps that permeates the corridors, lounge, and coffee bar, as well as the classrooms of the Division of Nursing. This atmosphere is most visible in the summer, when the various cohorts of doctoral students arrive from other parts of the country and abroad, to join their Miami colleagues in the pursuit of knowledge.

The second transition for doctoral students is the attainment of candidacy. The associated "rite of passage" is successful completion of the candidacy exam, which signifies to the academic community that the student has not only completed the requisite coursework, but also possesses the intellectual rigor and creativity to proceed with the dissertation. Students who achieved candidacy during the current semester are: Cynthia Archibald (faculty member in newborn intensive care), Rosemary Bossman (independent consultant in nursing administration), Stacy Elder (intensive care cardiovascular nurse specialist), and Claudette Spalding (faculty member in nursing administration at Barry).

Receipt of the doctoral degree is the final transition and pinnacle of success for doctoral students. This "rite of passage" occurs at a graduation ceremony when the president of the university confers the doctoral degree, with all attendant "rights and responsibilities." The student's dissertation advisor then drapes the doctoral hood over the new doctor, a societal symbol of doctoral status throughout world.

This final "rite of passage" is also the most complex, because it involves a series of preliminary steps that may take several years to achieve. These steps include: selection of a dissertation committee, committee acceptance of the dissertation proposal, completion of a rigorous scientific study that represents an original contribution to nursing knowledge, a successful dissertation defense, committee acceptance of the final written document, and delivery of the dissertation to the library for public review. We are proud to be awarding one doctoral degree during the current semester to: Dr. Pamela Douglass Hardesty, executive director of Spectrum , whose dissertation is titled "Health-Related Hardiness in an Aging Nursing Workforce." Congratulations Dr. Hardesty!

Diane R. LaRochelle, Ph.D., RN, HNC