UTEP top nursing school for Hispanics

As Texas and El Paso County deal with a shortage of professional nurses, UTEP has been placed as the top nursing school for awarding bachelor's degrees to Hispanics in the United States by the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine.

"I was really thrilled to hear the news," said Gloria McKee, assistant professor at the School of Nursing. "As a native El Pasoan, as someone who is a UTEP School of Nursing graduate and a current UTEP nursing faculty member, I feel especially proud. I feel that it was about time that the School of Nursing was recognized for its success in training such a large number of quality Hispanic nurses since its beginning."

According to the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, there were 19,446 registered nurses employed in Texas in 2009 with about 86 percent of them full time and 13 percent part time. Texas' supply ratio grew by 11 percent in the past decade, although it continues to lag behind the U.S. supply ratio.

Krystal Martinez, public health graduate student, said that UTEP needs to help provide nurses to the borderland region, because of the shortage of nurses in the area.

"I think that our nursing school earned this honor because of the strong leadership at the school," Martinez said. "There is definitely a need for nurses in our community and this profession is both growing and dynamic."

Elias Provencio-Vasquez, dean of the School of Nursing, said the honors shows the diversity and quality of nurses UTEP produces.

"It's a great honor that UTEP is being recognized nationally," Vasquez said. "As a university that educates a diverse student body and particularly as a university that educates fine nursing students."

McKee hopes that the title for being number 1 in the nation might open opportunities for recruitment and funding for the nursing school.

"I really believe that this national recognition will facilitate the recruitment of faculty and students," McKee said. "And it will help to increase the opportunities for research funding for the School of Nursing."

Vasquez said that when he first arrived at UTEP as dean, he saw that the University of Miami was the top-ranked nursing program and he immediately became ambitious to secure that title for UTEP. He said because of the outstanding commitment of the school's staff and students, UTEP became number 1 in less than half the time he originally anticipated.

"When I first arrived at UTEP, we were number 3; we were already pretty high up there," Vasquez said. "Since I'm from Miami, I was very competitive. I thought in about three to five years we would be number 1. This all happened only one year ago."

McKee said the university did not only earn the recognition by its consistent commitment of preparing well-educated nurses, but also by their dean's continuous commitment for the school's success.

"I think the School of Nursing earned this honor partially by producing high quality Hispanic nurses in the local, as well as the national healthcare environment," McKee said. "However, I also feel that this honor was expedited by the fact that our current dean (Vasquez) brought his nationally recognized reputation as the first Hispanic male to be named nursing dean in the U.S. and this helped to place us on the map as a school [of nursing] that excels in producing a large number of quality Hispanic nurses."

Vasquez also said credit goes to the university officials for making resources available to the School of Nursing and shows the university's pledge to have students get to the top.

"The president, Diana Natalicio, always says ‘aim to succeed,'" Vasquez said. "We made them (students) aim for success. It's a great example of what the president always says. We provide access and excellence in nursing education."

Candice Marlene Duran may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.