Nursing Degree Partnership Announced

The Austin Community College District and the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Nursing in Round Rock announce a partnership that will allow ACC nursing students to seamlessly continue their education.

“This agreement creates a new educational pathway for ACC graduates to go on to achieve a bachelor’s degree in nursing,” says Dr. Eileen Klein, dean of health sciences at ACC. “This is a wonderful resource that provides a convenient way for students to achieve their goals.”

The articulation agreement establishes a joint admissions process, offering ACC students who complete the associate degree nursing (RN) program the opportunity to enter TAMHSC and pursue a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (B.S.N.).

“Austin Community College produces quality nurses, and we are excited to begin this venture together,” said Dr. Sharon Wilkerson, dean of TAMHSC-College of Nursing. “The collaborative effort will benefit not only students but also the community by providing additional education for local nurses.”

The TAMHSC-College of Nursing provides RN-to-B.S.N. courses online, allowing nurses to continue working while completing a bachelor’s degree. The accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing is also available at the Round Rock campus. The Bryan campus offers all three degree programs – the generic B.S.N., accelerated B.S.N. and the RN-to-B.S.N.

TAMHSC opened the inaugural 134,000-sq. ft. building on its 50-acre Round Rock campus in 2009. It is used for clinical teaching of medical, nursing and pharmacy students, and includes a simulation center equipped with computer-programmed manikins and administrative offices.

ACC offers associate degree nursing programs at its Round Rock and Eastview campuses. In the 2009-10 academic year, the college graduated 272 associate degree nursing students. ACC’s nursing students consistently excel at national licensure exams; in the most recent testing year, 98 percent of associate degree nursing graduates passed the licensure exam (October 2009-September 2010).

ACC also has RN to B.S.N. articulation agreements with the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Tech. TAMHSC has an agreement with Blinn College, a community college that serves the region east of ACC’s service area.