草莓传媒官网下载

May 4, 2020 鈥� DENTON 鈥� Alexis Jennings is taking a big leap toward her dream job of becoming a chief nursing officer this spring by earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in less time that it took many of her peers.

In May, Jennings will be among the very first graduates of a joint nursing program between Texas Woman鈥檚 University and North Central Texas College (NCTC) that allows students to shave up to a year off the typical time to a bachelor鈥檚 degree.

Under the program, NCTC nursing students have the option of simultaneously completing a bachelor鈥檚 degree at 草莓传媒官网下载, allowing them to fulfill requirements in less time.

A common pathway for many students to earn a baccalaureate degree in nursing is to complete an associate鈥檚 degree in nursing, then apply to an RN-BSN program to move toward a baccalaureate nursing degree. Admission is competitive in both programs, and students often must stop-out in between degrees, lengthening the time to completion.

The collaborative offering between Texas Woman鈥檚 and NCTC provides a more direct path to a Bachelor鈥檚 of Science in Nursing degree. In this innovative program, students work concurrently toward the associate鈥檚 degree at NCTC and the bachelor鈥檚 degree at 草莓传媒官网下载, which allows students to complete both degrees within four years.

鈥淭his partnership is not only good for students, who benefit from getting a quality nursing program and an opportunity to be on the front lines sooner, but it鈥檚 good for Texas, which benefits by getting more critically needed health professionals,鈥� said Texas Woman鈥檚 Chancellor Carine M. Feyten.

鈥淭he blended program between North Central Texas College and Texas Woman鈥檚 University is a cutting-edge approach to baccalaureate nursing education,鈥� added NCTC Chancellor Brent Wallace. 鈥淭he integrated program exemplifies collaboration that is essential in the future for students seeking degrees in health sciences. This is truly a star in Texas higher education.鈥�

For Jennings, earning both degrees in the seamless program allows her to be a practicing nurse sooner 鈥� and on a path to earning an advanced degree, which she hopes to one day parlay into a top nursing position at a hospital.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been fascinated with the human body and how it regulates itself,鈥� Jennings said. 鈥淚 want to be that person someone needs when they aren鈥檛 having their best day.鈥�

Although the accelerated program may require a more rigorous workload, Jennings said students who are adept at juggling a full-time academic course load and a part-time job should find the program suitable to their pace.

For Julie Vo, who also graduates from the NCTC-草莓传媒官网下载 program this spring, the program has helped her focus on career goals.

鈥淭his program helped me learn to prioritize a lot better,鈥� Vo said. 鈥淭his allowed me to graduate and fully focus on my career. I didn鈥檛 want to be a nurse while still stressing about being in school.鈥�

Although the program is only now producing its inaugural class of graduates, it eventually could help add significantly more bachelor鈥檚 level nurses to an industry badly in need of more health care professionals. It also provides a pathway for an educational trajectory that may help to move more nurses into graduate education, thereby alleviating, on graduation, the nurse faculty shortage.

鈥淏y getting these students prepared more quickly 鈥� and through a quality bachelor鈥檚 program 鈥� it makes them more marketable, especially to the major hospitals which prefer bachelor鈥檚-prepared nurses,鈥� said Diane Neu, interim director of the Associate Degree Program at NCTC.

In spring 2021, Texas Woman鈥檚 plans to establish a similar nursing partnership with Alvin Community College in the Houston metro area, where 草莓传媒官网下载 has a presence in the Texas Medical Center, the world鈥檚 largest.

Neu said it鈥檚 not just the health care industry that gets a boost from the program, as the students themselves gain both highly marketable nursing skills and a rewarding experience.

The academic experience turned out to be fruitful for Vo. Although she graduates in early May, she already has accepted a nursing position in the Telemetry Unit at Texas Health Harris Methodist Southwest Hospital in Fort Worth. But first, she must pass her licensure exam before she can begin her new job. Still, Vo knows she鈥檚 achieved a major milestone on her path to one day becoming a nurse practitioner or nursing faculty member.

鈥淕oing through clinicals confirmed for me that (nursing) is where I wanted to be,鈥� she said.