![\"TSTC](\"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/TSTC-VN-and-RN-Students-5x7.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nLast year, to give its vocational nursing graduates and current LVN licensees more opportunity and because nurses are in high demand, TSTC introduced an Associate of Applied Science licensed vocational nursing (LVN) to registered nursing (RN) transition degree.<\/p>\n
According to the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies of the Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas will see continued demand for registered nurses through 2030.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Texas is the highest employer of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, according to the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s Bureau of Labor Statistics.<\/p>\n
Among the contributing factors to the rising need for nurses are an increase in demand for health care services, an aging population, an increase of chronic disease, new patient-centered medical homes and health centers, and nursing personnel who are nearing retirement.<\/p>\n
Harlingen Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Amy Flores oversees more than 200 nurses, with a large of number of them, she says, retiring within the next five to 10 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe future is bright for nursing right now. We\u2019re going to be scrambling to find enough (nurses) soon,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s important now, more than ever, that we have more colleges and qualified staff to train new nurses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jean Lashbrook, TSTC\u2019s statewide nursing division director, said that the approval in 2017 for a new registered nursing program at TSTC\u2019s Harlingen campus has allowed them to train more students pursuing the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started with a cohort of 30 students in Fall 2017, but after three years we plan on increasing the number of students accepted, along with increasing faculty,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The first cohort will be graduating this summer.<\/p>\n
Lashbrook also added that the registered nursing program at TSTC\u2019s Breckenridge and Sweetwater campuses in West Texas is increasing its number of students and graduates.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn West Texas we\u2019re increasing our numbers by branching out in local communities for clinical experience for students, which gives our program more visibility in the surrounding area,\u201d said Lashbrook.<\/p>\n
Vocational and registered nursing students at TSTC have the opportunity to learn and practice simulation exercises in state-of-the-art labs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe training we provide allows our students to practice real-world scenarios they will encounter,\u201d said Sauceda. \u201cThis helps reduce their anxiety, which in turn allows them to provide the best patient care possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flores, who has worked with TSTC nursing students completing their clinical hours, has found their skills to be above average.<\/p>\n