New program gives students a head start on college coursework to help meet Texas\u2019 growing nurse shortage.<\/p>\n
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 A new partnership between Del Mar College (DMC) and London Independent School District is creating a direct path for high school students to become registered nurses, aimed at tackling a growing shortage across Texas.<\/p>\n
The program, called Viking Voyage to Nursing, allows London ISD students to begin working toward Del Mar\u2019s competitive Registered Nurse program while still in high school, with the goal of entering the program immediately after graduation.<\/p>\n
DMC officials said on Thursday data shows the urgency. By 2036, Texas\u00a0is expected\u00a0to fall short by nearly 56,400 registered nurses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis partnership creates a clear and intentional pathway for students to move from high school into one of the most critical fields in our community,\u201d said Mark Escamilla, DMC President and CEO. \u201cWe are investing in the future of health care across the Coastal Bend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one-of-a-kind dual credit opportunity helps students get ahead in a very competitive admissions process,\u201d added London ISD Superintendent Dr. Bill Chapman. \u201cStudents can finish high school and earn their nursing degree faster, making a real impact locally.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program starts with incoming first-year students this fall. Students will take college-level classes and complete key requirements\u2014such as anatomy, psychology, and English\u2014before applying to the nursing program by January of their senior year.<\/p>\n
They must also pass a nursing entrance exam before being accepted. Those who qualify can begin nursing classes the summer or fall after graduation.<\/p>\n
DMC said the program\u00a0is designed\u00a0to prepare students for hands-on patient care and the national licensing exam.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents complete intensive coursework and clinical training that prepares them to enter the workforce as confident, highly skilled nurses,\u201d said DMC Dean of Business, Entrepreneurship and Health Sciences Dr. Jennifer Sramek.<\/p>\n
Graduates can also continue their education, earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in nursing through Del Mar College.<\/p>\n
Officials say the long-term goal is to build a steady pipeline of local nurses to support hospitals and clinics across the Coastal Bend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New program gives students a head start on college coursework to help meet Texas\u2019 growing nurse shortage. CORPUS…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273522,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[155,157,156],"class_list":["post-273521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-corpus-christi","tag-corpus-christi","tag-corpus-christi-headlines","tag-corpus-christi-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}