The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Nursing marked its first class of nursing graduates with their BSN to the Mansfield, Texas community with a lamp lighting ceremony Dec. 3 (Saturday). The lamp lighting graduation ceremony was conducted in the Cafe of Methodist Mansfield Medical Center, host to TTUHSC’s new satellite campus.
“Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing is very pleased and proud to be a partner with the Methodist Healthcare System, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center and the City of Mansfield in celebrating the first graduating class of nurses in the DFW region,” Executive Associate Dean Dr. Karla Chapman said. “Increasing the number of nurses helps to address the shortage of nurses, and therefore improves the quality of health care in the region.”
Juan Fresquez, Methodist Health System President, said the new graduates celebrate the eternal flame that burns bright in each graduate and Methodist’s efforts to build a talented pipeline of nurses here in the community to deliver high-quality care.
“We are proud to collaborate with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing and the City of Mansfield to celebrate the first graduating class of the Texas Tech satellite campus to Tarrant County and Methodist Mansfield Medical Center,” Fresquez said. “Adding these talented nurses to the DFW community enables us to positively impact individual’s lives and provide a resource of new nurses critical to the operations of hospitals and clinics nationwide. These nurses help close the gap in the shortage of nurses in our community.”
According to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Texas will be short almost 16,000 nurses by 2030.
“These graduates are high-quality medical professionals who will strengthen our city’s health care system and economy,” Mansfield City Councilman Larry Broseh said. “This would not be possible without the collaboration between Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Methodist Health System, and the City of Mansfield to open the nursing school here at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center.”
