Del Mar College and London High School are partnering on a pathway to lead high school graduates directly into the college's registered nursing program.
The new "Viking Voyage to Nursing" initiative between Del Mar College and London Independent School District aims to address Texas' nursing shortage.
“This partnership creates a clear and intentional pathway for students to move from high school into one of the most critical fields in our community,” Del Mar College President Mark Escamilla said in a news release.
The partnership was announced during London ISD's State of the District event on April 30. The program will begin next fall with London High School freshmen. During their freshman year, students will take the Texas Success Initiative test, which assesses college readiness, and apply to Del Mar College's dual credit program.
Participants will be able to complete 14 semester credit hours before officially
entering the registered nursing program. Students are recommended to take dual credit speech, philosophy and English composition classes, along with industry-specific classes such as general psychology and anatomy and physiology I and II. Students will take the nurse education entrance test in their senior year of high school.
During senior year, participants will also apply for the college's registered nursing program. "Our students will not only be able to complete high school but also get their nursing degree even faster than before resulting in a real impact on our local healthcare workforce," London ISD Superintendent Bill Chapman said in the news release.
They will be able to enter the registered nursing program in the summer or fall after high school graduation, jumping into introduction to health care concepts and professional nursing concepts courses. The registered nursing program is a two-year associate degree program. Students can also exit after three semesters if they instead choose to practice as a licensed vocational nurse.
However, the college also offers a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree.
Del Mar College's dual credit program is free for students in participating school
districts, which includes London ISD.
The college also currently offers a free tuition waiver program that covers the costs of earning an associate degree for full-time students living in the Del Mar College district, which currently includes some parts of London ISD.
