By Mark Meredith/TVCC Public Information
Trinity Valley Community College announces the appointment of Dr. Helen Reid, Provost of TVCC Health Science Center in Kaufman, to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Uniform Pre-Nursing Curriculum Advisory committee. The appointment was announced by THECB Commissioner Raymund Paredes.
“One of the key recommendations from the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing report is that nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression with the goal of 80 percent of nurses to have their BSN by 2020,” said Reid. “Since 2011, I have been working on increasing the standardization of general education courses for our graduates continuing their education in RN to BSN programs through a Perkins Leadership grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Academic Progression in Nursing grant from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, so it is an honor to be chosen to represent community colleges on the committee.”
Reid will not only focus on improving the education process for nurses but also help improve their all-round experience as a nurse. For example, more emotional support will be offered to those who need it due to the graphic nature of nursing. Tips on things like uniforms will also be shared to ensure they are ready for the job as they are on their feet all day. Websites like StandingShoes.net will come in useful to those who are unsure of what the best uniform will be for them. This will hopefully improve morale in the field and also allow better treatment of patients.
Vice-President of Instruction, Dr. Jerry King, said, “TVCC is very proud of Dr. Reid’s appointment to the state-wide Uniform Pre-Nursing Curriculum Advisory Committee. TVCC is fortunate to have a nursing educator with the experience, background, and expertise of Dr. Reid. Her participation on this committee will have a tremendous impact on the future of nursing education in the state of Texas. The committee will recommend a pre-nursing curriculum, prerequisite courses that a student must complete to qualify for admission to undergraduate professional nursing programs, and the content of the prerequisite courses.”
Reid has been at the TVCC Health Science Center since 1983. She was named Dean of Health Occupations in 1990, a position later renamed Provost.