Breckenridge Texan

By Ben Barkley/Texas State Technical College

In an effort to help fill the nearly 1,800 vocational nursing job openings in the state, Texas State Technical College has extended the deadline to submit applications for its Vocational Nursing cohort scheduled to begin in January.

Prospective students have until Nov. 1 to submit a completed application for the 16-month Vocational Nursing program, which is offered at the Breckenridge and Sweetwater campuses, and applications are being accepted at both locations.

Joan Coldiron, a Vocational Nursing instructor at the Sweetwater campus, said the program is perfect for someone looking to begin a career in health care while saving money on tuition. “TSTC is amazing in its efforts to assist students with an education while maintaining the lowest possible debt after graduation,” she said. “Obtaining your vocational nursing license can be the first step of your career. The nursing profession offers countless opportunities to work in whatever field of interest you have.”

According to onetonline.org, Texas has 1,783 vacant vocational nursing positions open in Texas as of Oct. 4, including 25 job openings in the West Texas area.

Coldiron has set a goal for herself and the program. “I am looking forward to bringing a new group of desperately needed nurses to the profession,” she said.

Marchelle Taylor, TSTC’s Vocational Nursing program director, said the application process must be completed online. For complete program requirements, visit www.tstc.edu/program-requirements/nursing/.

Prospective students must meet certain requirements before applying for entry, including providing all transcripts of courses taken from other colleges that must be sent to TSTC and reviewed by he admissions department. Additionally, TSTC will conditionally accept students who are in their final semester of taking the prerequisite courses of anatomy and physiology I and II, and medical terminology. By the first day of the cohort, the students’ official transcripts must show the required grade for official acceptance.

Prospective students may call Lisa Langford at 254-559-7731 for application guidance.

TSTC’s Vocational Nursing certificate program is also available at the Harlingen campus, which is also accepting applications through Nov. 1.

Upon completion of the program and passing the National Council Licensure Examination, graduates are classified as licensed vocational nurses (LVNs).

According to onetonline.org, LVN jobs were forecast to increase 11% in Texas between 2018 and 2028. The median salary for LVNs in Texas is $48,520, the website showed.

TSTC also offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Nursing at the Harlingen and Sweetwater campuses.

For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

Cutline, top photo: Nursing students at Texas State Technical College give COVID-19 vaccinations during a clinic last year at First Baptist Church in Breckenridge. The  TSTC nursing students were assisting Stephens Memorial Hospital personnel during the clinic as part of their training. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

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