TSC registered nursing program received full approval, accreditation

BROWNSVILLE — The Associate Degree of Nursing program at Texas Southmost College has officially been named a fully approved, accredited program by the Texas Board of Nursing, a milestone that’s been a goal since the program’s inception at the college in 2019.

To receive this status from the Texas Board of Nursing, the program had to meet all rules, regulations and stipulations set by the board of nursing, including a National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) pass rate of 80% or better.

TSC’s nursing program NCLEX pass rate is set at 90%.

“Receiving this full approval is a sigh of relief,” said Beth Kasprisin, TSC Associate Degree of Nursing Director. “This is, in a way, the ending to a chapter that began in 2018 when we started writing and developing this program. It’s been a successful venture and now there’s new work that needs to be done.”

By becoming a fully approved nursing program, program faculty and staff are now allowed to focus on growing its cohorts and increasing its staff to better meet the needs and demands of the profession.

“The demand for nurses right now continues to increase nationally; in the Rio Grande Valley we exceed the national shortage of nurses, so being able to grow our program is going to benefit the profession as a whole,” said Kasprisin.

The goal of the program is to create a foundation of proper patient care and skills, preparing a nursing student for clinical rotations and eventually employment at hospitals, doctors’ clinics, nursing homes or rehabilitation centers.

“The key to producing knowledgeable, skilled and empathetic nurses is to set expectations early in their nursing education,” said Kasprisin. “They need to know what is expected of them, they need to be familiar with terminology and skill sets and need to train with advanced machinery and simulation labs; and because of the investments and support we have received from TSC’s Board of Trustees and leadership, it’s all possible at TSC.”

Since the nursing program began, it has graduated more than 60 students who went on to become registered nurses at hospitals such as Valley Regional Medical Center, Valley Baptist Medical Center Brownsville and Harlingen and Harlingen Medical Center, among other Valley and statewide hospitals.

“Increasing enrollment will increase our graduates, which will continue to put our nursing program on the map,” said Kasprisin. “As a fully accredited program we now rank with the rest out there and begin a new phase.”

Applications for TSC’s Associate Degree of Nursing program are now being accepted for fall 2022, there are 24 slots to be filled by qualified students. The deadline to apply is May 31.

The program also has one full-time and one part-time position ready to fill; full-time faculty are eligible for TSC’s full benefits package.

For more information on TSC’s Associate Degree of Nursing program or to apply, visit tsc.edu.