St. Mary's University in San Antonio is gearing up to debut its Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, setting the stage for its first class in the fall of 2024, after receiving the nod from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and getting initial approval from the Texas Board of Nursing, according to reports from the San Antonio Report.
The program, designed to alleviate a critical shortage of nurses in the metro area, rides a growing wave of healthcare education in the region and joins the ranks of other BSN offerings at local institutions such as San Antonio College and UT Health, the latter began shaping the field back in 2018, St. Mary's incoming president Winston Erevelles, who played a formative role in framing the curriculum, expressed enthusiasm about ushering in the first cohort of nursing students, he conveyed in a statement obtained by both the San Antonio Report and News Online, "We now look forward to recruiting our inaugural nursing class," and he added, eagerly anticipating partnerships with clinical trailblazers in the community.
Notably, San Antonio College has recently broadened its program to establish a pathway for students hailing from the San Antonio Independent School District, a move that underscores the nursing sector's expansive trajectory, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting a 6% growth in Registered Nurse employment by 2032.
St. Mary's is bent on churning out nursing graduates steeped in values, punctuated by compassion and empathy, per Donna M. Badowski, vice dean and founding director of Nursing, who underscored the program's commitment to holistic patient care in comments to the San Antonio Report, "Our program is dedicated to producing nursing graduates who exemplify the values of compassion and empathy, ensuring that they provide holistic care to their patients."
