Kristen Jones, an advising specialist and assistant recruiter in the University of Houston-Victoria School of Nursing, can help people enroll in a new program for those who already have a bachelor’s degree but want to start a new career in nursing.

SUGAR LAND – A new program through the University of Houston-Victoria will help solve the nursing shortage in Fort Bend County and beyond by making it easier for professionals to become nurses.

The Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, approved this morning by the Texas Board of Nursing, allows someone with a bachelor’s degree to earn a second degree in nursing in as little as one year.

Linda Dune

"It doesn’t matter if your degree is in biology, psychology or history," Program Director Linda Dune said. "You can make the transition to the field of nursing very quickly through this new program."

The program will welcome its first class of 24 students on Aug. 25, Dune said. Classes will be a combination of lecture and lab time at the University of Houston System-Sugar Land, 14000 University Blvd., online classes and clinical hours. Students will work clinical hours in all the major hospitals in Sugar Land, extended care facilities and the Fort Bend Independent School District. UHV oversees administration of UHSSL.

The nursing classes required for a second bachelor’s degree can be completed by students in one year if they take classes four days a week, Dune said. Graduating may take a bit longer if students are required to complete prerequisite classes.

"Any perspective students need to apply as soon as possible," she said. "We have a dozen students already standing by to enter the program."

That capacity should double in January with the opening of a nursing facility inside the new UHSSL academic building.

The program is one more way UHV is striving to serve the community, one of its leaders said.

Tim Hudson

"It’s a given that all of us will have contact with the nursing profession at some point in our lives," UHV President Tim Hudson said. "This program allows UHV to touch the lives of the people of Fort Bend County by providing rewarding careers to many and quality healthcare to all."

Bachelor’s degree nurses are in high demand across the country. This means great pay, benefits and social mobility for graduates, Dune said.

To qualify for the new program, students must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university with a 2.5 cumulative grade-point average and a 3.0 GPA in science courses, said Kristen Jones, UHV advising specialist and assistant recruiter. They also need proof they have taken the Nurse Entrance Test, a full immunization record and professional CPR certification. Students also may need to meet certain course prerequisites in science, social science and statistics.

Interested students can apply for the program online at www.uhv.edu/nursing. For more information, contact Jones at 281-275-3053 or joneskn@uhv.edu .