UNTHSC opens new nursing college in Fort Worth
FORT WORTH, Texas - There’s a new option in Fort Worth for students interested in becoming a nurse.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center College of Nursing will celebrate its grand opening with a lamp-lighting ceremony and tour of the new building on Thursday morning.
It features a 10,500-square-foot nursing wing and a simulation center where future nurses will complete their clinicals.
There are offices, workstations, a virtual teaching room, and lounges.
The founding dean of the college said it was designed with the students in mind.
"We created this new college as a healing environment to prepare the future healers. Natural lighting in the space, quotes, and mottos of the profession by legacy nurses around for inspiration so that we’re inspiring the next generation of nurse providers and healers," said Cindy Weston, the dean of the UNTHSC College of Nursing.
Texas hospitals raising pay to help solve staffing shortages
More than 700 state hospital beds cannot be used because of a shortage of workers. Under the new policies a registered nurse with three years of experience would start with a salary as high as $90,000 per year.
Dean Weston said there is a critical need for nurses nationwide. There’s a shortage of about 7,000 nurses in North Texas alone.
She hopes the new college will provide a solution.