A partnership between Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) and UT Health San Antonio will offer a new certificate nursing program to address the severe shortage of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners in South Texas.
Dr. Glenda Walker, TAMIU dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and its Dr. F. M. Canseco School of Nursing, said the idea for the program was driven by critical need and quantifiable data.
“Very simply put, the overwhelming need for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners in South Texas is stunning,” she said.
Eileen T. Breslin, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing at UT Health, said, “We are pleased to work with TAMIU to provide advanced education to nurses in this region. As one of only a few nursing schools in Texas with this certificate program, we will offer six prospective students, identified by TAMIU faculty, the opportunity to enroll in our Post-Graduate Certificate Program for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners. With this certificate, our graduates will be qualified to offer leading-edge mental health care services in diverse settings in this underserved area.”
The partnership includes recruiting, enrolling and educating six nurses from Webb and surrounding counties into the UT Health program. Offered as a hybrid model with collaborative preceptor and clinical support arrangements, this program includes 23 course hours and 600 clinical hours at four approved regional clinical supervision sites in South Texas.
A Memorandum of Agreement was signed by TAMIU and UT Health representatives earlier this month. The program will begin in Spring 2019.