Nursing News:
Universities¹ agreement designed to cure area shortage

By Criselda Valdez
Amid the fanfare of Charro Days, Brownsville, Texas and Mexican university officials quietly ushered in a new era for nursing education Brownsville. Officials with the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College and the Universidad del Noreste de Mexico in Matamoros signed a ³cooperation agreement² designed to enhance educational opportunities and increase the number of nurses eligible to work in the Rio Grande Valley. The document was signed by UTB-TSC President Juliet V. Garcia, UTB-TSC Provost José Martín, UNM President Jose A. Del Pozo Alvarez and UNM General Coordinator Jose de Jesus Robledo Aguilar. Under the agreement, the universities would exchange students, faculty, staff, publications, reports, and other academic information. They would also collaborate on research projects, professional development and any other activities they agree on.
Dean of School of Health Sciences Eldon Nelson said the ³umbrella agreement allows for a broad array of interaction² between the two universities. The pilot program, whose specifics have not been specified, would allow nurses in Mexico to train at UTB-TSC or UNM in order to pass their American licensing examination. Due to a shortage of registered nurses and allied health professionals, the two universities joined forces to help train more for the area. According to Nelson, four local hospitals and the university ‹ known as the Consortium of Health Care Professional Education ‹ recognized the growing need for nurses. The consortium includes the Brownsville Medical Center, Dolly Vinsant Community Hospital, Valley Baptist Medical Center and the Valley Regional Medical Center.
³We¹re only now at the beginning of the project,² Nelson said. ³It¹s a daunting task, but we feel up to it.² The first wave of students is tentatively scheduled to begin the program in June and enter the US workforce in early 2004, said Douglas Best, executive officer of The Partnership Institute Limited Liability Corporation. The Partnership Institute helped develop the program.
³We¹re hoping to identify Mexican students to begin the program in June,² Nelson said, adding the initial 25 students ³will likely have practiced (nursing) for at least two years in Mexico. At this phase we need to have Mexican nurses who have high level skills in English.²
According to a statement issued by the UTB-TSC, ³It is hoped that through the new partnership with UNM, located in Matamoros, Mexican nurses can be identified, study to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), then enter the U.S. to train in clinical English to successfully pass other nursing certification tests necessary to be licensed in the U.S.²
Best said the shortage is no longer just a crisis, but will soon become a catastrophe unless the situation is addressed.
³(The program) could lead to hundreds and hundreds of nurses,² he said. ³But this can¹t be the only part of the solution.²
The program, partially funded by two local hospitals, will pay all of the expenses, including exam fees, transportation, housing and food costs, for the participants.
³They will have to dedicate their efforts to this program,² Nelson said, adding they will work toward their studies for a minimum of 40 hours. ³But we can help make them successful. We are dedicated to make (the program) a success.²
Copyright 2003, The Brownsville Herald. Reprinted with Permission