Nursing college to expand to Pearland
Chamberlain College of Nursing is opening a campus in Pearland and is accepting applications for admission to the fall semester, whichbegins Sept. 1.
The Pearland campus is Chamberlain’s second in Texas and 14th in the nation.
Located at 12000 Shadow Creek Parkway, Chamberlain’s new Pearland campus will offer an onsite bachelor of science in nursing degree program that can be completed in as few as three years of yearround study instead of the typical four years with summers off. The campus features Chamberlain’s SIM-CARE Center, which provides high-tech simulated patient care in clinical learning environments, and a Center for Academic Success, which delivers comprehensive academic resources and support for students.
“Located so close to the Medical Center, Pearland maintains a large footprint for folks involved in the healthcare field,” said District 29 state Rep. Ed Thompson, R-Pearland.
“Chamberlain College of Nursing is a great addition
to our community and will be an important asset in satisfying the needs of the Medical Center, our reputable hospitals and other esteemed facilities located in our area.”
The Pearland campus president, Kacie A. Spencer, DNP, MSN, RN, has more than a decade of experience in clinical nursing and academics.
Spencer’s previous roles at Chamberlain include faculty chair and dean of academic affairs at the Arlington campus and, most recently, dean of academic affairs at the Houston campus.
Her clinical experience includes emergency nursing, quality management, regulatory agency compliance and staff development.
Spencer earned amaster of science in nursing degree with a specialization in leadership and management in nursing systems with highest honors from Texas A&M University — Corpus Christi and a doctor of nursing practice degree focused in leadership and management from The George Washington University.
Chamberlain’s Houston campus, 25 miles from the Pearland campus in the northwest area of the city, opened in 2011. Since then, Texas’ population has grown faster than that of any other state, with Houston among the nation’s fastest-growing cities.
Nurses are in high demand to provide care for Texas’ growing patient population, including those over age 60.
Texas’ ratio of licensed registered nurses per 100,000 people is far lower than the national average — 720 compared to 874, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Despite a climbing RN vacancy rate in Texas hos- pitals, according to the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, more than 5,600 qualified applicants were turned away from local baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs last year due to capacity issues, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
“The demand for nursing education and nurses in Texas reflects a nationwide trend,” said Susan Groenwald, PhD, MSN, RN, national president of Chamberlain College of Nursing.
“Chamberlain is committed to providing a superior nursing education to prepare extraordinary nurses who can step up to meet this challenge. Pearland is thriving with new healthcare facilities that will benefit future nurses as they begin their education and clinical experiences with Chamberlain.”
For more information about Chamberlain College of Nursing’s Pearland campus, visit chamberlain. edu/pearland.