May 5, 2016 - The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board awarded a $580,000 grant to the Panola College Associate Degree Nursing program as part of a statewide program to alleviate a shortage of nurses in the future. The 84th Texas Legislature appropriated funds for the Professional Nursing Shortage Reduction Program as a means to assist nursing programs in filling the future need for registered nurses in the state’s workforce.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 16 percent growth in the job market for registered nurses, but demand is outpacing supply. The new Health & Natural Sciences Building has allowed Panola College to offer state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories, and clinical settings.
The demanding curriculum for nursing requires an incredible commitment of time and resources. Financial constraints coupled with family responsibilities often make it difficult for students to complete the two-year course of study. The new grant will offer Panola College opportunities to identify areas of concern that may be contributing to students’ lack of persistence in completing the ADN degree.
“We will use the funds to help students stay in the program through multiple retention activities,” says Dr. Barbara Cordell, Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences. “Some students need academic assistance to improve their grades, but others need guidance with finding childcare or budgeting living expenses so they will have more time to study.”
Dr. Cordell said the college will spend the grant funds in a targeted approach designed to double the graduation numbers in the ADN program within the next two years. When that goal is met, the grant will continue to provide funding for an additional two years.
