A&M-Texarkana to launch 4-year nursing program
Texas A&M University-Texarkana will offer a four-year bachelor of science in nursing degree beginning in the summer of 2017. The 120-credit-hour degree was recently approved by the Texas Board of Nursing, and applications for the program will be available in November. Students must complete a twoyear pre-nursing curriculum before beginning the traditional BSN track.
Nursing director Dr. Kathy Missildine, associate dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, said the program will offer a “flipped classroom approach.”
“The emphasis will be on the application of knowledge and information to an actual patient situation,” she said. “The faculty will serve as facilitators of learning rather than lecturers. The program is supported by a skills lab in which they can practice common nursing skills and in a simulation lab.” In that lab, instructors will direct high-fidelity simulations for the students with an emphasis on the application of knowledge and information to an actual patient simulation, Missildine said. “This is so the student has the opportunity to practice in simulated situations before taking care of patients,” she said. “We will have a large one that really simulates an entire unit with different kinds of patients. They will learn not only direct care but also management and leadership skills.”
The program will consist of four semesters and one summer session, she added, with the first group graduating in May of 2019.
“The traditional BSN Program will accommodate students who want a four-year university experience and a nursing degree,” A&M-Texarkana President Dr. Emily Cutrer said in a statement. “Many of our best and brightest students in the region will now have one more reason to stay here and make significant contributions to our local economy. Because we are a destination campus, we also will attract students from outside of the region who desire a four-year nursing degree.” The university recently broke ground on the Building for Academic Success, which will house the classrooms, faculty offices and skills and simulation labs for the BSN program. It is expected to open in the Spring of 2019. A&M-Texarkana also expects to receive $1.8 million in state funding in 2016 and 2017 for the program’s expansion.
For more information, contact the A&M-Texarkana Nursing Department at 903-334-6649, nursing@tamut or visit the campus at 7171 University Ave., Texarkana, Texas.