News

VC receives grant to help address nursing shortage

National Student Nurse Day 2024

Victoria College was recently awarded a $262,424 Nursing Shortage Reduction Program (NSRP) grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to address the nursing shortage within the region and to provide additional resources to support student success in the Associate Degree Nursing Program.

“This grant will enable us to further accelerate our efforts to address the nursing shortage,” shared Darla Strother, Dean of VC’s Division of Allied Health. “By hiring student support staff and providing professional development for faculty, we can enhance student success and expedite the process of producing qualified nurses to meet the needs of the region.”

A nursing lab assistant and a nursing success coach will be hired to assist struggling students with developing their clinical, lab and didactic skills. Additionally, professional development will be provided to nursing faculty to improve their ability to adapt instruction to better serve non-native English speakers.

“The NSRP grant will allow Victoria College to provide additional resources to help our nursing students overcome challenges and achieve their goals,” said Dr. Jennifer Kent, VC President. “Ultimately, our community will benefit, as more successful graduates will result in more qualified nurses to meet the growing healthcare needs of our region.”

The grant complements VC’s ongoing efforts to address the regional nursing shortage, including a new hybrid track within VC’s Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program and a partnership with the University of Houston-Victoria that will allow students to complete VC’s ADN Program and UHV’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program simultaneously.