TTUHSC Veteran Nursing Program Receives More Than $1 Million Grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2015
CONTACT: Jessica Bagwell, Jessica.Bagwell@ttuhsc.edu
(806) 743-7610

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Nursing Veteran to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (VBSN) program, which will create an accelerated path for veterans’ with military medical experience to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing, has received a $1,040,615 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The program, which is currently accepting applications, will begin in spring 2016 at campuses in Amarillo, the Austin/Hill Country area, and Dallas.

The HRSA Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR) grant is awarded to academic, service and continuing education projects designed to enhance nursing education, improve the quality of patient care, increase nurse retention and strengthen the nursing workforce. The NEPQR program seeks to broadly advance the nursing workforce by supporting programs that create opportunities in the nursing profession.

Many veterans have extensive military medical training and experience, but until now these individuals have found it difficult to translate the knowledge gained in the military into civilian course credit hours. The TTUHSC School of Nursing, in partnership with Texas College Credits for Hero’s, has created a competency based learning model that can recognize up to 13 prior learning credits toward the awarding of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Recognition of prior learning will allow faculty to tailor the full-time, accelerated 12-month, 61-credit hour program to the veteran’s learning needs.

“TTUHSC is proud to offer this innovative solution to veterans with prior medical military experience who wish to have a career in nursing, without starting over in their training,” said TTUHSC President Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D. “The School of Nursing Veteran to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program will train these nurses at an accelerated pace, so that they may enter the workforce and begin providing excellent care, augmenting their prior military experience with an exceptional nursing education.”

By acknowledging prior medical military service as a means of fulfilling BSN requirements, TTUHSC School of Nursing offers an opportunity for veterans who wish to attain a BSN degree, but already have experience and skill that exceeds that of most traditional undergraduate nursing students. The program’s ability to allow more highly qualified nurses to quickly enter the workforce is incredibly relevant as Texas continues to face a persistent nursing shortage.

“Creating programs that allow more qualified individuals to achieve their dream of being a nurse is a major win for everyone – the students, the health care facilities that depend on talented nurses to complete their missions and especially the patients,” Mitchell said.

For more information about the TTUHSC School of Nursing VBSN program, visit http:// http://www.ttuhsc.edu/nursing/undergrad/veteran-to-bsn/default.aspx. Potential applicants should speak with an admissions coordinator at (806) 743-9235.

This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under 3 year grant number UF-1HP28519 of the Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention – Veterans’ Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program for $1,040,615. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsement be inferred by, HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

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