By: Kelly Rusk
On the heels of National Nurses Week, Prairie View A&M University’s nursing programs have been named among the top in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report. The MSN Program is No. 5 in Texas and No. 117 in the nation, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program is No. 8 statewide and No. 139 nationally. And that’s not where the latest rankings end. PVAMU’s Family Nurse Practitioner Program was also named one of the top programs in the country by Best Colleges. Th e Master of Science Family Nurse Practitioner program is ranked sixth among Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Th e program is also ranked No. 2 overall in the state by Nursing-Process.com.
PVAMU’s nursing pro-grams date back more than 100 years to the earliest years of the University—the first degree granted by the University was in nursing. The FNP master’s program was estab-lished in 1999 to meet the demand to increase the number of ethnic minority health care providers to unserved, underserved and vulnerable populations. Family nurse practitioners are seasoned nurses with advanced training to provide primary care to clients, families and communities. PVAMU’s training includes extensive clinical experiences in both urban and rural settings.
Dr. Gloria Rose, director of graduate studies and FNP program coordinator, has taught in the program for nearly all of its 25 years. “I’m very proud of our students and faculty. We have very committed, supportive faculty who truly want to see our students succeed,” Rose said. “And our graduates, as well. We have an excellent certification exam pass rate.
