Mission
The mission of the College of Nursing is to educate professional nurses of today and leaders of tomorrow through the provision of excellent educational programs in nursing. The College will identify, attract and graduate students of high potential who will be eligible for The National Council Licensure Examination for R.N. licensure. The mission of the College will be enhanced through faculty contributions to community service, leadership, practice and research.
About the College
The Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Nursing, located in College Station, was created in response to the severe nursing shortage across Texas. With a nursing work force as well as a large population that is aging and ready to retire, it is vital to the state of Texas to help increase the number of registered nurses. The College is committed to addressing this vital need. The faculty and staff believe that highly skilled nurses, in collaboration with other health professionals, through research and service will facilitate individuals, families and groups to achieve a maximum state of well-being.
Acting Dean
Sharon A. Wilkerson, Ph.D., R.N., is acting dean of the College of Nursing. Before becoming dean of the College, Dr. Wilkerson was director of doctoral program development and associate professor at Purdue University School of Nursing. She has been at Indiana University and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Pontiac, Mich. Dr. Wilkerson’s specialty is pediatrics, and she has worked in graduate and undergraduate nursing education for more than 15 years. She has been a nurse researcher for many years, conducting extensive evidence-based research in children with respiratory problems and premature infants.
Degrees Offered: The College of Nursing offers three different “tracks” for the baccalaureate degree. One is a standard generic Bachelor of Science in nursing (B.S.N.) requiring two years of prerequisite courses and two years of nursing curricula. A second “accelerated” program is for those who already have earned a bachelor’s degree in another field of study. The third track is an R.N.-to-B.S.N. program allowing registered nurses with associate degrees to complete additional course work for the B.S.N. The first class of 40 students will be admitted in summer 2008.
Faculty
Approximately 35 faculty and staff members will be hired over the next five years. Long-range plans include nursing graduate programs to include a master’s in nursing education and a master’s in public health nursing.
Facilities: The HSC facilities in College Station supporting nursing education include a 45-person classroom; skills laboratory with eight hospital beds, nursing station and medication room; and three rooms designed to simulate a hospital environment equipped with computer-programmed manikins. The new educational building, which will open in 2010, will increase classrooms and skills laboratories.
Maps & Directions
HSC College of Nursing offices are located in the School of Rural Public Health complex at the intersection of University Drive and Adriance Road in College Station. The College is accessible via Highway 60/Stotzer Parkway or Highway 6.
