South Texas College continues to place high in national rankings for providing higher education opportunities to Hispanics, ranking seventh in the U.S. in graduating nursing students according to Hispanic Outlook and the National Center for Education Statistics.

“Although this ranking can be attributed to the predominance of the population of Hispanics in the Rio Grande Valley area, it is directly related to the commitment of having STC serve the region as a premier learning centered institution,” said Juan E. Mejia, Vice President for Instructional Services for STC. “The Board of Trustees is strongly committed to access to higher educational opportunities for students of all income levels. Couple this with the quality of our program and immediately students recognize the value in staying in Hidalgo and Starr Counties to attend STC and pursue their education.”    

The Rio Grande Valley was well represented in the national ranking with The University of Texas – Pan American ranking eight. STC and UTPA join ten other Texas schools making the top 25, illustrating the thriving medical market in the state. 

“I think we can also see that the medical market is providing a variety of job opportunities across the Valley and Texas,” said Wanda Spratt, Division Dean for Nursing and Allied Health for STC. “There are new hospital and care facilities everywhere. This is due to a variety of factors, including an aging baby boomer population and in influx of winter Texans. These businesses need skilled talent who are native to the region and can relate to their patients. STC’s program is proving an opportunity for students to begin an exciting career in a booming local industry. There is a shortage of nurses not just in this region but across the nation and so nurses are in high demand. Any student successfully completing the program is going to be ensured job placement and job security. This is particularly true for our bi-lingual students of which we have many.”

STC’s Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program is a two-year (five-semester) program that prepares graduates to begin practicing as a staff nurse in a hospital or other health care setting. Through assessment of an individual, the nurse graduate plans, implements and evaluates direct nursing care for individuals and/or groups and is able to monitor and direct peers and ancillary workers in technical aspects of nursing care.

Students seeking entry in the Associate Degree Nursing Program (ADN) must attend an advisement with a faculty member, complete the Introduction to Nursing course with a grade of “B” or better and complete an application for consideration for the program. Students must earn a passing score on the THEA exam to take the Introduction to Nursing course and have a GPA score of 2.5 or higher.

The program is accredited by the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas (BNE). Upon completion the graduate will be able to sit for the National Council License Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) administered by the Board of Nurse Examiners (BNE) for the State of Texas. After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Registered Nurse. Currently, STC’s exam passage rate exceeds the state average.

The college also offers a Vocational Nursing Certificate. This intensive three- or four-semester program offers classroom instruction and related clinical practice in the four basic areas of nursing care: adults, mothers and newborns, children and the elderly. Graduates of this program will have a wide array of opportunities for providing nursing care for patients in structured health care settings. Patients cared for by vocational nurses typically are experiencing common, well-defined health problems with predictable outcomes. 

For additional information on STC’s Nursing program, please call the division office at 956-872-3117 or visit www.southtexascollege.edu/nah.

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