UTEP, EPCC to Pilot Program to Decrease Time to Earn Nursing Degrees

By Julia Hettiger

UTEP is currently piloting an ADN to RN/BSN to MSN program with EPCC, allowing more EPCC students the opportunity to receive the same training in College of Nursing facilities, including the Simulation Laboratory.

Starting in 2024, UTEP and El Paso Community College (EPCC) will partner on a new pipeline program designed to broaden opportunities for registered nurses to obtain bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. The ADN to RN-BSN to MSN pilot program will allow individuals who have become registered nurses (RNs) through EPCC’s Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program to obtain their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at UTEP in three semesters before applying to obtain their Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).

 “The new pilot program we’ve designed with EPCC will strengthen the pipeline of nurses graduating from the two colleges and provide quality healthcare to our community,” said Leslie Robbins, Ph.D., dean of the College of Nursing. “We’re excited to have students start the program and to see the impact it has on our esteemed nursing program.”

 Nurses who obtain their bachelor’s degree often have more opportunities for advancement, higher salaries and better job placements than RNs. With an MSN, nurses can work in either an education setting, such as teaching at a hospital, college or high school, or in an administrator role, taking on greater responsibilities and leadership roles. Through this new pipeline, nurses will be able to more easily obtain these degrees and advance their careers.

“These [EPCC] students will already have the core completion and the residency hours,” said Myrna Anchondo, assistant dean of the College of Nursing. “So, all we need for them to do is complete the program and pass their NCLEX [National Council Licensure Examination], and then they can start the process to be assigned nursing courses. And then once they complete that, they move on to either the nursing education or the nursing administration option through the MSN.”

Because students in this pipeline will have already passed their licensing exams to become registered nurses, they may be accepted to UTEP’s nursing program without having to go through the traditional three-tiered ranking system and can complete their courses remotely while working in the nursing field.

“Our RN-to-BSN program is 100% online, so those students don't ever even come to campus,” said Leslie Ross, lead academic advisor for the College of Nursing. “They do all their coursework online over the course of three semesters. It's only five courses. They take two classes per semester, except for the last one where they take only one course. They can work on their application to the MSN program during this semester.”

Learn more about UTEP’s RN to BSN program here.