Concordia Opens New Satellite Nursing Facility in North Austin

The University recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Concordia University Texas Nursing Satellite Campus. "We are growing our Nursing program and other health sciences programs to support the community," Amber Shammas, the senior director of the College of Health Sciences, said.

Austin, Texas, is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States and offers students abundant opportunities. "Austin has large healthcare systems that offer a pipeline of job opportunities for CTX Nursing students directly after graduation," Mollie Gabel, the director of Nursing Academic Services, explained.

Concordia University Texas Nursing Satellite Campus

Located on Research Blvd. in the Echelon 1 building, the new Concordia University Texas Nursing Satellite Campus features state-of-the-art skills labs and simulation labs.

"The facility contains skills labs and simulation rooms where students can combine the education and the art of nursing," Tonya Ward, the director of the Undergraduate Nursing Program, said. "Because our Nursing students have the ability to practice their skills in a risk-free environment, they are better prepared to provide patients with the best care in a clinical environment."

The skills labs introduce students to new procedures they will eventually perform on patients. A Concordia Nursing professor will be present to supervise the students as they practice. Nursing students begin with simpler skills, such as taking a pulse, and progress to more challenging skills, like tracheostomy care.

The simulation labs present students with realistic nursing experiences in a controlled environment. Each session begins with learning the patient's history, and students are challenged to identify the measures to take and to prioritize tasks.

When students work on a high-fidelity mannequin, the professors will guide the simulation from behind the scenes. After each simulation lab is complete, students will take part in a debriefing session with the professor and fellow classmates, sharing what went wrong, what went right and what they learned.

"Being able to have hands-on practice really helps me understand what I'm learning through my textbooks and lectures," CTX Nursing student Naomi Clardy said.

About the Concordia Nursing Program

There are three ways students can earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Concordia University Texas:

1. Traditional Track

Students are admitted as Pre-Nursing students and complete the Pre-Nursing Sequence over the first two years of the program.

Students then apply to the Nursing program during the last semester of the Pre-Nursing Sequence. Once admitted, students begin the Professional Nursing Sequence.

2. Direct Entry Track

Freshmen who declare a Pre-Nursing major are automatically considered for the Direct Entry program. Students who qualify are contingently admitted to the Nursing program their freshman year, securing a place in the program as long as they meet final admission requirements.

Like the Traditional track, students in the Direct Entry track spend the first two years completing the Pre-Nursing Sequence and the final two years completing the Professional Nursing Sequence.

3. Accelerated BSN

Concordia's Accelerated BSN (ABSN) allows students to earn a BSN in just 16 months. Designed for students with previous college experience in a non-nursing field, the program combines rigorous online coursework with hands-on labs and clinical rotations.

While it predominantly serves students in the ABSN program, all Nursing students will utilize the new site. "We will continue to expand our use of this facility to prepare our nurses to go into the community and provide safe, quality, faith-based nursing care," Shammas said.