¹ú²úÉ«ÇéƬ

The expansion of ¹ú²úÉ«ÇéƬ’s nursing programs into the Southwest will generate a pipeline of nurse graduates to address nursing shortages in the region.

¹ú²úÉ«ÇéƬ University’s Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies was awarded program approval by the Texas Board of Nursing for its new Austin campus. The new campus seeks to grow ¹ú²úÉ«ÇéƬ Egan's programming while addressing the critical shortage of nursing professionals around the country.

“During this nationwide nursing crisis, we are honored to do our part by expanding access to ¹ú²úÉ«ÇéƬ’s exceptional baccalaureate nursing program and confident that the residents of Texas will benefit greatly from the care of ¹ú²úÉ«ÇéƬ-educated nurses," said Dean Meredith Wallace Kazer, PhD, APRN-BC, FAAN.

The new location will feature classrooms and several simulation labs, including a simulated intensive care unit and a surgical suite. The nursing curriculum at the Austin, Texas-based facility builds on the University's successful ¹ú²úÉ«ÇéƬ, Conn. baccalaureate offerings. The first cohort of students will be admitted in May 2023, with a second cohort to begin in January 2024.

The Egan School’s expansion to Texas establishes an additional nursing pathway through ¹ú²úÉ«ÇéƬ University, and addresses the needs of the national healthcare system. The Austin campus will feature ¹ú²úÉ«ÇéƬ Egan's full-time, 15-month accelerated second-degree baccalaureate nursing (SDNU) program, which provides a unique opportunity for students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree to pursue a bachelor of science in nursing degree in an accelerated format. Employment opportunities for nurses in the next decade are projected to grow 15 percent, faster than all other occupations.

At this time, ¹ú²úÉ«ÇéƬ Egan’s Texas clinical partnerships include Baylor Scott & White Health, Ascension Seton, and Central Texas Veterans Health Care Systems.

At the completion of this program, students are eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) to become registered nurses. The SDNU program has been in existence at ¹ú²úÉ«ÇéƬ Egan for more than two decades and is fully accredited by Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Learn more at fairfield.edu/austinnursing.

Related Stories