During National Year of the Nurse, HSU Celebrates Program’s 25th Anniversary

Abilene, TX. – Hardin-Simmons University is pleased to join with Patty Hanks Shelton as we celebrate the 25th year of the Nurse Practitioner Program.  As our community continues to face the largest healthcare battle in our lifetime, with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more important that we are preparing future healthcare providers with the best training possible to prepare them for what they will encounter in a clinical setting.

As lead nurse in the Emergency Room at Hendrick Medical Center, Ramona Wyatt knows that well as she has been working on the frontlines of COVID-19.

“It has certainly been eye -opening to work on the frontlines during a pandemic.  I am so thankful for the training I received at Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing that helped set a strong foundation for the skills I needed to provide evidence- based medicine both during this COVD-19 crisis and across my patients’ lifespan.  I learned how to research and stay up to date with the latest medicine which is always evolving.  I especially appreciated the traditional, hands on approach that is so hard to find in a program, along with the amazing instructors that helped set me up for success in my career as a Nurse Practitioner”.

NPs provide a full range of services, such as ordering, performing and interpreting diagnostic tests; diagnosing and treating acute and chronic conditions; prescribing medications and treatments; and managing overall patient care. NPs focus on health promotion, disease prevention and health education and counseling, guiding patients to make smarter health and lifestyle choices.

Hardin-Simmons University is proud to partner with Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing to provide our students with the highest quality of training to equip them for a career in the health care field.  As the only face to face family nurse practitioner program offered in the region, we are pleased to provide a student ratio of 1:10 which gives our students the ability for plenty of one on one instruction.  Patty Hanks is also the only program in the region to offer an advanced human anatomy elective with cadaver lab dissection.

“Family Nurse Practitioner graduates from Hardin-Simmons practice as healthcare providers all around the big country and throughout Texas. They are responsible for managing the healthcare of thousands of patients seen in clinics, hospitals, nursing homes and private practices. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, NP’s in the big country have been active in testing and treating patients in our community. NP’s have a large impact on the health of a community! We are proud to be developing future NP’s who will continue to promote and manage the health of our community, state and nation.”

Dr. Valerie Miller, Assistant Professor at the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing

Hardin-Simmons University is proud to celebrate 25 years of educating graduate level nurses that serve patients with high-quality healthcare in their communities.