Never too late: UTRGV accelerated bachelor’s in nursing program growing

Xamara Hernandez was a kindergarten teacher in 2020 with a bachelor’s of science in biology when she learned about the UTRGV second degree bachelor of science in nursing program through Facebook.  

“They were going to launch it and it was going to start in, I believe, in the summer,” said Hernandez, who was working as a kindergarten teacher at the time. “And I got very curious because I had never considered nursing. I remember telling my husband, ‘You know, I want to go back to something that’s more towards, like, the roots of sciences in the health-care industry, so maybe I should give this a shot.’ And I did. I just remember applying and not knowing what to expect because we were going to be the first class and I just took a chance, a leap of faith, I guess, and then applied.”

She was among 10 students in the first cohort of the Second Degree Accelerated Option Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program in Summer 2020. Since then, the program has grown to 24 students.

The program is offered to students who possess a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than nursing and “is designed to build on past educational achievements to earn a BSN degree in four consecutive semesters,” according to its website.

“The accelerated 15-month program has face-to-face classroom instruction, campus labs and in-hospital clinical labs,” the program’s website states. “Instruction will be guided by expert nursing faculty in collaboration with local hospitals.”

Andrya Rivera-Burciaga, interim second degree program coordinator in the nursing school, said she is happy to report that the program is growing in numbers.

“Not only in accepted numbers, but also in interest,” Rivera-Burciaga said. “Our first cohort was a cohort of 10 and we just had seven students graduate. Our second cohort was another 10 and then we grew to 20 and now we are growing to 24. Right now, we have close to 40 students interested in … applying in December.”

Students’ transcripts are reviewed to see what other requirements they may need. 

“For instance, our students who are in education may not have a lot of the sciences, like anatomy and physiology, a chemistry with its lab,” Rivera-Burciaga said. “So, maybe they don’t have a life span [course]. So those are the types of courses that we’ll talk to them about taking again or coming back and taking it before they can apply for the program.”

She said it is important for students to understand that nursing is not like other disciplines. Time management is important because the program itself is rigorous.  

“They’re required to come to lab,” Rivera-Burciaga said. “They do have clinicals in the hospital and so the amount of time that is required to get this bachelor’s really isn’t something that you can have a full-time job Monday through Friday and be able to successfully complete the program.” 

She said the majority of students who struggle in the program do so because of financial barriers.

“What we’re working on right now is being able to bridge the second-degree students,” Rivera-Burciaga said. “We’re trying to create a good process and a better plan, because when they come in seeking a second degree, they get caught up in the financial problem where they don’t qualify for financial aid. But we’re working on that plan and we work closely with the Financial Aid Office, with Admissions and with the academic advisers to assist a student to be able to come back and qualify for financial aid.”

Melinda Rodriguez, undergraduate program director, said the students must be determined to become registered nurses.

“They’re taking classes in a quick way and in a very expedited way, and so the ones that come into the program are very committed,” Rodriguez said. “In all honesty, I think the university wants to grow the program more with each semester that goes by. We will be accepting more. The first second-degree program was in collaboration with Doctors Hospital at Renaissance [in Edinburg]. We had a memorandum of understanding and that’s how it started back in 2019. And, so, that means that all the students actually did all their clinicals at Doctors Hospital.” 

She said the program will also collaborate with Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville starting in Spring 2022. 

“We have 10 students that are getting ready to start there in the spring,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve been under discussion with another local hospital here in the [Rio Grande Valley] and hoping that will come to fruition next year. So, it’s giving a lot of people an opportunity to actually come that aren’t nurses already to get their degree.”

Hernandez, who graduated in  August 2021, said she discovered why she wanted to become a nurse in her second semester when she had clinical trials. 

“I remember thinking, ‘Wow, like, all these patients,’” Hernandez said. “It was during COVID. I mean, they were alone. They couldn’t have any visitors. I mean, truly, nurses were the ones who were, I mean, caring for them, and, I mean, just they were the only face that these patients were seeing. And I was really grateful at that moment for this program because, I mean, they gave me an opportunity to go back and realize, ‘Hey, it’s never too late to change your career, no matter where you are in your life.’”

She said she was excited to be part of the first class. 

“I think, as students, and, I mean, from the faculty as well, you know, we were stepping into something that was very different,” Hernandez said. “They were welcoming students who had a previous bachelor’s degree in a million different majors. … So, I know it was difficult. … They asked us, like, you know, ‘Do you have any feedback?’ We gave them feedback because we knew that we were the ones paving the way for the classes that would follow. So, I think we always kept that in mind that, even though it was difficult, it was our responsibility to help the faculty and the school, you know, fix minor issues, improve on certain things so that they could, in turn, help the next incoming classes.”

Katie Busch holds three degrees. The first two, a bachelor of science in recreation with a therapeutic emphasis and a bachelor of science in exercise science, are from Georgia Southern University. 

“And then I went back and got my EMT [certificate] so that I could be an emergency medical technician and work on an ambulance,” Busch said. “And I did that for a couple of years and then got into school down here, and now, Monday, I take my national board for nursing [exam].” 

She was excited about being part of the first graduating class. Busch said it was a cool opportunity to be able to be the first ones through the program and help give constructive feedback.

“It was a really, really cool thing to be a part of it,” she said. “And I’m excited that this sort of a program, like being able to get your bachelor’s in a short period of time, is just going to be good for the community down here. Not only, you know, let people be in a position to, like, already be ready to further their education. … It just will be, I think, a really cool program to see grow throughout the years and it’s going to be special to be, like, ‘Oh, we were the first ones.’”