WT Nurse Practitioner Program Ranked No. 1 in Texas for Third Consecutive Year

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — For a third consecutive year, an independent analyst has ranked West Texas A&M University’s nurse practitioner program as the best in Texas.

Nursing Process ranked WT’s program No. 1 out of 11 programs across the state, citing the Department of Nursing’s “innovative and research-focused academic approaches.”

“WT’s nurse practitioner program being recognized as the best such curriculum in Texas for a third consecutive year speaks volumes on behalf of WT Nursing, our faculty and our students,” said Dr. J. Dirk Nelson, dean of WT’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences. “We take pride improving the health and quality of life for all of our communities including rural and the medically underserved.”

Nurses have been named the most-trusted professionals for the past two decades, noted Dr. Holly Jeffreys, director of WT’s Department of Nursing.

“WT nurse graduates bring an immense amount of quality and value to patient care on a daily basis in a variety of settings,” Jeffreys said. “WT nursing faculty members are proud to serve our region by promoting and demonstrating the highest standards in nursing practice and education as we continue to bring more nurses and advanced-practice nurses into our ever-growing family of Buff professionals.”

Nurse practitioners play “a critically important role in holistic patient care throughout the Texas Panhandle,” Nelson said.

“Nurses spend a great deal of time with patients and their families,” Nelson said. “Consequently, this often means they may be the first to notice when their condition takes a turn and must respond promptly and in concert with a team of healthcare providers.”

Established in 1972 and graduating its first students in 1974, WT’s Department of Nursing in its College of Nursing and Health Sciences currently provides about 70 percent of nurses employed throughout the Texas Panhandle.

WT nursing graduates, over the past five years, have averaged a 97 percent score on the National Council Licensure Examination, required by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing to test the competency of nursing school graduates in the United States and Canada. Nationally, the average is 85 percent; in Texas, it’s 87 percent.

Nursing Process also recently ranked WT’s online RN-to-BSN program No. 6 in the nation. WT’s program is the only one in Texas to make the list.

Among other recent accolades, the online nursing program was ranked No. 7 in Texas and won a coveted Best Graduate Program ranking for 2022 from U.S. News & World Report. Previously, the family nurse practitioner program was ranked No. 4 in the country by RegisteredNursing.org. College Choice recently ranked the online RN to BSN program as the third best in the country, and Online-Bachelor-Degrees.com also recently named WT one of the 10 best online nursing schools in the country.

Meeting regional needs, such as quality nursing, is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched Sept. 23 — has raised about $110 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—