Nacogdoches Medical Center Teams Up With Local Colleges
Nacogdoches, TX…February 25, 2005—Nacogdoches Medical Center has teamed up with the East Texas Nursing Education Consortium to provide renovated building space for educators to teach laboratory exercises to nursing students. The Consortium is newly formed through the joint efforts of nursing administrators from Stephen F. Austin State University, Angelina College, and Panola College.
The Consortium will be housed within Medical Center Plaza located at 4632 NE Stallings Drive. Plaza renovations include approximately 5,400 square feet for a classroom, eight patient rooms, and a nurses’ station to simulate a hospital setting. Total materials cost of the project is $30,000. Each school, in conjunction with Nacogdoches Medical Center, will contribute equipment including beds, mannequins and computers to furnish the lab which has the capacity to support up to 90 students simultaneously. The first class commences Monday, February 28 and will consist of a mix of students from all three schools.
While a nursing shortage remains intact, nursing programs have had more applicants than they can accept due to campus space constraints. Oftentimes, nursing programs have had to take classroom space from other school programs just to accommodate their needs. “Each nursing program has increased enrollment beyond what has been done in years past, leaving the instructors stretched to attend to all of the students’ needs. This new space allows us to maintain the volume of students and helps ensure the quality of nurses that graduate,” said Sharon Buffalo, nursing programs coordinator for Angelina College. “We are one of the first in Texas to form such a consortium,” said Dr. Barbara Cordell, director of RN programming at Panola College. “We will help serve as a model for others to follow.”
Medical Center’s chief executive officer, Glenn Robinson, learned of space needs at SFA and fashioned the idea as part of the hospital’s ongoing efforts to find creative ways to help alleviate the escalating need for nurses and nurse instructors. The hospital acquired Medical Center Plaza, formerly The Pinelands Hospital, in August 2001. Since that time several Medical Center services have relocated to the Plaza, including comprehensive rehabilitation, the business office, the diabetes center and its sleep lab. “The relationship is a win for everyone because we can provide the perfect set-up for the lab given that Medical Center Plaza is a former hospital, and the program itself can help encourage nurse graduates to remain here in East Texas,” said Robinson. “It’s a great example of the private sector partnering with our University and Colleges to improve nursing educational opportunities.”
Dr. Glenda Walker, director of nursing at SFA, said, “The Plaza project is the second in a three-phase plan to maximize the nursing faculty and resources at the three nursing programs: SFA and Angelina and Panola Colleges.” In 2003, the three programs received a Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board grant to develop shared nursing courses to help reduce attrition in the programs. The next phase of the plan is to develop funding for the addition of advanced equipment that will simulate patients in a real hospital setting. Walker added, “This relationship can help show how associate degree programs, baccalaureate degree programs, and the health sector can join hands to impact the health status of a community.”
Nacogdoches Medical Center will cover the utilities and taxes in conjunction with providing the renovated space for the Consortium. Additionally, the hospital has agreed to furnish a nurse instructor 40 hours a week, alleviating each college from finding funds to hire additional full-time employees.
About Nacogdoches Medical Center
Nacogdoches Medical Center is a 150-bed acute care hospital located at 4920 Northeast Stallings Drive. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of the Nacogdoches community for more than 25 years. Nacogdoches Medical Center provides a broad spectrum of medical and surgical services, including cardiovascular services, emergency medical services, neurosciences, orthopedics, cancer services, a Bariatric Center, Women’s and Children’s Center, Chest Pain Center, and a Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center. The hospital also offers pulmonary services, sleep studies, and transfusion-free medicine.
Nacogdoches Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. Nacogdoches Medical Center has a sister facility, Shelby Regional Medical Center in Center, TX and houses the Surgery Center of Nacogdoches on its campus to provide same day surgeries and diagnostic testing. To learn more about Nacogdoches Medical Center, visit www.nacmedicalcenter.com.
About Stephen F. Austin State University
The Stephen F. Austin State University Division of Nursing is accredited by the National League of Nurses and the Board of Nurse Examiners. Nursing ranks among the most popular majors among the university’s 11,287 students. Currently, the division has approximately 160 nursing majors and admits 40 news students each fall and spring. The division is exploring ways to expand the program even further.
In addition, the SFA nursing division offers an RN transition program to enable nurses with an Associate Degree in Nursing to complete their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in a timely fashion while staying in the community. Over the past 13 years, the Division of Nursing also has partnered with University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) to bring master’s degree programs and a doctoral program in nursing to SFA through two-way interactive technology.
One of the distinguishing characteristics of the SFA nursing curriculum is its use of service learning to improve the health care of citizens of East Texas. As a part of the service learning, the nursing division also has been involved with UTMB in providing telemedicine clinics for special needs children and victims of domestic violence.
About Panola College
The Panola College ADN Program is approved by the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc.
The Associate Degree Nursing Program at Panola College is designed to provide high quality education to individuals in the community seeking a career as a registered nurse and to promote the transition of the licensed vocational nurse into the role of the professional nurse. Upon completion of the course of study and successfully passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), the student may enter employment as a registered nurse.
The ADN Program at Panola College offers two educational tracks leading to the Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing. They include a traditional ADN Track and the LVN Transition Track. Graduates of both tracks are eligible to apply for Registered Nurse licensure by examination.
The Vocational Nursing Program at Panola College prepares graduates to be able to function within legal, ethical, and professional standards; develop social and emotional maturity; and demonstrate concern for social health issues. Upon completing this program and passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), the student may enter employment as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN). Additional information about these and other programs offered through the Panola College Health Science Center is available at www.panola.edu .