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For the past few years, Laredo College’s Associate Degree in Nursing Program has garnered a myriad of national and statewide recognitions, namely it has been ranked as the top program in Texas for a fourth consecutive year. As we start off 2021, this accolade has been taken a substantial step further, with our ADN Program also being selected by RNCareers.org as the No. 1 ADN program in the United States. Laredo College shares this ranking with nine institutions nationwide. Additionally, NursingProcess.org ranked the ADN program as the #1 program not only in the state but also in the entire Southwest region of the United States.

RNCareers.org has been independently published by nurse educators, practitioners, RNs and LPNs for the past 10 years with the mission of helping to educate the best nurses in the country by providing accurate and meaningful information about pursuing a nursing degree.

NursingProcess.org is an online ranking website that brings access to nursing education and career information that is based on data in each state. According to the site, to compile the list of best ADN programs in the Southwest, they looked into 268 nursing schools in the region and ranked them based on four important factors - NCLEX-RN pass rates, academic quality, the nursing school’s reputation and affordability. The states comprising the region are Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Dean of Health Sciences/Nursing Programs Director Dr. Dianna Miller, who has worked in different capacities within the health sciences division and instruction at Laredo College for close to 30 years, is one of the pillars behind the program’s extraordinary success.

“I am extremely humbled by the recognition which we have received for our ADN Program and for our college, in particular,” she said. “But also, I am extremely proud of the ADN faculty and staff. Their goal has always been to promote student excellence and they accomplish this through their dedication and relationships to students.”

Dr. Miller indicated that the key to upholding this level of academic excellence for so many years is cohesive team work, which results from the collective culture of Laredo College and the personal goals of every faculty member for our community.

Program admission is very competitive, with approximately 350 applications per year for only 40 available positions. Program graduates in the past five years have had an impressive 100% passing rate in their national licensure examinations.

In discussing the future of the program, the dean notes that she plans on increasing the number of faculty members for the fall 2021 to allow an increase in student enrollment. Faculty members will also be participating in workshops and seminars that focus on newer concepts and technology with simulations as well as continuing to develop the hybrid and online courses.

Additionally, the program has six full-time faculty members and one part-time faculty member. Faculty are continually reviewing and revising curriculum in response to state and national nursing requirements to assist students in becoming quality nurses for our community.

Two of these dedicated instructors are Dr. Manuel Gonzalez and Melissa Guidry. Between the two of them, they have over 55 years of nursing experience and have a combined 29 years as nursing instructors.

Guidry has been an ADN instructor for nine years and attributes its award-winning success to several factors, one of them being the progressive and supportive administration at Laredo College and the great leadership under Dr. Miller. She notes that the ADN faculty’s experience and specialties offer students a well-rounded nursing education. Instructors are never satisfied and constantly look for ways to improve and keep abreast of the latest evidence-based nursing research and technology.

Moreover, Gonzalez is passionate about teaching students for two decades to provide the best care to patients and their families. He has been able to witness the ADN Program evolve over the years due to the commitment and drive of the nursing faculty and staff to integrate innovative strategies and advanced technology to prepare future nurses in the workforce. He mentioned that this is his way of giving back to the community and the goal is to continue promoting education experiences for students by maintaining strong partnerships and meeting the needs of the community.

Congressman Henry Cuellar, an advocate for higher education and a longtime supporter of Laredo College, also had high praise for our institution and our nursing programs’ continuous achievements.

“Laredo College continues to set itself above other institutions in the United States and in the Southwest region,” Rep. Cuellar said. “This recognition is a testament to Dr. Ricardo Solis and his extraordinary leadership in encouraging his faculty and staff to expand and strengthen their fields of study. Congratulations to all those involved in the health sciences division. I’d also like to thank the Laredo College District Board of Trustees for their work as well as the students who have gone through this degree path and helped shaped it to what it is today.”

This stellar designation is also in great part thanks to the great working relationships the college has with local, state and national healthcare partners including Laredo Medical Center, Doctors Hospital and Laredo Specialty Hospital. One of our longest and most supportive partners has been Gateway Community Health Center and Gateway CEO Elmo Lopez.

“Gateway Community Health Center LC South Clinic congratulates Laredo College on this first class designation and takes deep pride in our partnership,” Lopez said. “The South Campus Gateway Clinic serves as a teaching facility for these future Healthcare Heroes and we can attest to their number one rank.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread in our community and all around the globe, the need for qualified healthcare professionals has been exacerbated. Laredo College is proud to have been recognized as the top institution in our nation doing the important work of training and preparing our nation’s future healthcare professionals.