BRYAN, Texas — The Associate Degree Nursing Program at Blinn College District has announced a new degree plan taking place on the RELLIS Campus to provide current and former working paramedics a pathway to an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree in Nursing.
Karla Ross is the director of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Blinn College. She oversees 200 students, some with no nursing background and some who are licensed, practical nurses.
"With this new pathway, paramedics that have experience in the field will be able to transition into registered nurses in about a year," Ross said. "They will have some prerequisite courses before that, but the nursing courses will be about a year."
Along with the title of being a registered nurse, there are some added benefits including pay. According to the U.S. Bureau of labor statistics, in 2020 registered nurses earned a median salary of over $75,000 per year compared to just over $36,000 per year for paramedics.
"We know that starting pay can be a little bit different from paramedic to registered nurse, but also I think some of the growth opportunities that are available might be attractive for some and that's an opportunity we want to be able to provide," Ross said.
With courses starting next fall and graduation in August of 2023, students who may not have been able to become registered nurses before can now take that step up that they've always wanted in just one year.
"We know that nursing programs sometimes can be hard to get into," Ross said. "So this is just another opportunity, whether it's you know, might not be able to get into a bachelor's program initially or might not be able to get into a registered nursing program but maybe starting as a paramedic and getting some experience and then building on that experience to get into a registered nursing program."
The first information session for the program will be on April 11th, with the first applications being accepted soon afterward.