CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Texas A&M-Kingsville (TAMUK) officials are listening to its students and soon that could mean more health-field related courses on campus.
TAMUK is looking into introducing a nursing program and a community health hub by becoming a more health-focused college.
Currently, the university does not offer a nursing degree
The president of the TAMUK, Robert Vela, said the plan is in its very early stages but the main goal is to train healthcare professionals.
"We will run the whole gamete from start to finish incoming freshman all the way to the BSN to have your RN that is the goal but we are going to take this in phases," Vela said.
Cynthia Salinas, a nurse practitioner at the Family Planning Clinic in Kingsville says a program like this his in her backyard would have been very beneficial.
"Very accessible, I would have to drive one hour to get to Corpus and an hour to come home, that was taking time out of my family life and children," Salinas said.
Vela said the purpose of introducing these new health initiatives is not only to serve the students but the community as well, especially in the rural areas of South Texas.
"The most interesting piece here is that there is going to be a niche around rural health care so we need to kind of own that space and really specialize in that space which I think is going to be a vital option for our students," Vela said.
Asim Abu Baker, a faculty member at Texas A&M University, said a project like this will benefit the Kingsville area tremendously.
"There is definitely a need, especially rural medicine need for graduates from the area that are willing to work and stay in the area to serve their community," Abu Baker, Associate Dean for Clinical and Professional Affairs for TAMU, said.
Cynthia Gonzales, director for the Family Planning Clinic in Kingsville said they can benefit from this plan because the clinic will also grow.
"We will train here, we will be able to allow them to intern and then they will stay here, and work and serve and the community will benefit even more because the growth will follow," Gonzales said.
Vela said the plan is in its early stages but he looks forward for TAMUK becoming the anchor for these students looking to pursue a degree in nursing.
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