MIDLAND, Texas —
It was an exciting night for some Midland College nurses, as they walked the stage at this year's vocational nurse pinning ceremony.
Family and friends were able to celebrate their accomplishment and see all the hard work that the graduates put in.
"Nursing school is very difficult,” said Kristi Spencer, RN and associate professor at Midland College. “It takes a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of studying. You miss out on a lot of things. And so, this is kind of a, I did it, I did this extremely hard thing, and now I'm ready for my next part of my journey.”
The new grads will be closing the gap on the ongoing nursing shortage that we're seeing across the nation.
"There's a nursing shortage all over the country, and our area is no different,” said Spencer. “Especially living in an oilfield area. You know, a lot of people go off to the oilfields, which leaves medical needs in high demand. So, this really helps with our community, and getting more nurses in there. They're not going to be understaffed. If you're fully staffed, you're able to provide better care to patients."
They will now be able to take their next steps in the nursing field and start their careers.