ODESSA, TEXAS (KMID/KPEJ) – “I could not be happier with the nursing program here I absolutely love it,” said one student in the RN Program at UTPB.

We have shown you nursing programs at both Odessa College and Midland College so far… and in this education report– UTPB’s Nursing Program is taking center stage.

UTPB’s Nursing Program has been around for over a decade, students enroll every semester.
You can earn your BSN through the program, or take the online RN to BSN pathway.

“We take students to their licensure, and when students finish our program they’ve got their Bachelor’s degree in nursing, and they’re ready to sit for their boards to get their nursing license. We also have an RN to BSN program which we are working on growing. It takes nurses that have an associate degree and takes them to a bachelor’s degree and it’s completely online,” said Michael Hall, Interim Chair of Nursing at UTPB.

“I absolutely love the small class size, and a lot of individualized time, everyone here wants you to succeed. It can be hard transitioning from high school to college but it’s more of an at-home feel here,” said Evalyn Beebe, a Sophomore in nursing school.

UTPB is big on growing its own. This means recruiting local students… that initiative is a big reason scholarship opportunities are available specifically for nursing students…

“We are looking for students who are permanent residents of West Texas or Southeast New Mexico, to apply for these scholarships. The great thing is these students can qualify for up to 25k a year to get through their nursing program or any of these pre-health programs,” said Jacqui Gore, VP of Community and Engagements and Partnerships at UTPB.

That is year over year, up to $25,000 you can get over 4 years. But you must of course stay in good standing with the university.

“This scholarship has been available for the last 2 years thanks to PSP, this is all in response to the need for the profession in the Permian Basin,” said Gore.

School leaders are asking that students visit UTPB’s website by May 1st so they can award student scholarships for the Fall semester.
Initially, students will get $6,250 scholarships to get started, which will cover tuition and fees. Current nursing students say this puts them at a huge advantage.

“I do want to go get my nurse prac. After this or my pa, it will be a huge thing to graduate debt-free, that way I have no financial constraints when I want to pursue my career or my Masters or my NP,” said Beebe.

The Pre-Nursing Program started two years ago, and that takes students in their freshman or sophomore years and gets them into the nursing program when students show promising careers in the medical field.