About TTUHSC

Mission

As a comprehensive health sciences center, our mission is to enrich the lives of others by educating students to become collaborative healthcare professionals, providing excellent patient care, and advancing knowledge through innovative research.

Vision

Transform health care through innovation and collaboration.

Values

Through our values-based culture, TTUHSC is committed to cultivating an exceptional workplace community with a positive culture that puts people first. Five core values—One Team, Kindhearted, Integrity, Visionary, and Beyond Service—are integral to our purpose, and we aim to align with those values on a daily basis.

TTUHSC Presidents

Grover Elmer Murray (1966-1976)

Maurice Cecil Mackey (1976-1979)

Lauro Fred Cavazos (1980-1988)

Robert Lawless (1988-1996)

David Smith (1996-2002)

M. Roy Wilson (2003-2006)

Bernhard T. Mittemeyer -Interim (2006-2007)

John C. Baldwin, President (2007- 2009)

Tedd Mitchell, President (2010-2019)

Lori Rice-Spearman, President (2019-present)

Brief History

The Texas Tech University School of Medicine was created by the 61st Texas Legislature in May, 1969 as a multi-campus institution with Lubbock as the administrative center, and with regional campuses at Amarillo, El Paso, and Permian Basin (Odessa). In 1979, the charter was expanded to become the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), leading the way for establishment of the School of Nursing, School of Health Professions, and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. In 1993, the legislature authorized the establishment of a School of Pharmacy to be located in Amarillo. In addition, Health Professions programs were expanded to Amarillo and the Permian Basin. In 2003, the legislature authorized the establishment of a four-year medical school in El Paso, and in 2011, the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing was established, also located in El Paso. On May 18, 2013, after 40 years of operating as a regional campus of TTUHSC’s School of Medicine, Governor Rick Perry signed Senate Bill 120, which established TTUHSC at El Paso as its own independent institution.

TTUHSC’s schools are committed to regionalized, multi-campus educational experiences, and to the related biomedical research, graduate studies, patient care and community service required of a health sciences center. A primary effort is made to achieve a balanced group of students with qualified minority students, diverse age groups, and heterogeneous backgrounds in educational and life experiences.

TTUHSC has as its major objectives the provision of quality education and development of academic, research, patient care, and community service programs to meet the health care needs of West Texas, which in total is comprised of 108 counties and represents 50% of Texas’ land mass and 11% of its total population. This 131,000 square mile service area and population of 2.7 million has been, and remains highly underserved by health professionals and accessible health care facilities, despite the substantial and meaningful contribution made by our institution. Demographic shifts in West Texas populations, as well as socioeconomic and epidemiologic characteristics of its sub-groups, create major and specific demands for service. While education of students and residents remains the primary focus of the institution, there has been an important impact on the health status of West Texas. The lack of a single locus of population density has resulted in the regionalization of medical and health care education and patient care on multiple geographically separated campuses. In providing an excellent quality undergraduate, graduate, and continuing health professional education at each site, the health needs of the larger community have been better met and relevant indices of health status demonstrate significant improvement. To continue to provide excellent health care for the people of West Texas, a special effort is made to recruit applicants from West Texas and from rural and border communities. Students from these areas are more likely to service their home regions upon graduation, which ensures the long-term perpetuation of quality health care in West Texas and that the objectives of TTUHSC are continually met.

TTUHSC Accreditation

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, masters, doctoral, and professional degrees. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

A member of the Texas Tech University System, TTUHSC has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) as a separate institution from Texas Tech University since 2004. TTUHSC received its last reaffirmation of accreditation from SACSCOC in 2019. TTUHSC will submit a Fifth-Year Interim Report in the spring of 2025.

About TTUHSC School of Nursing

Mission

The School of Nursing’s mission is to educate students for practice in evolving healthcare systems and to advance knowledge and practice through research, service, and community engagement.

Vision

The School of Nursing's vision is to shape healthcare of the future by advancing the profession, improving the health of others, and inspiring exceptional care.

School of Nursing Deans

Teddy Jones, RN, CS, PhD, FNP (1981-1991)

Patricia Yoder-Wise, RN, EdD, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN (1991-1993, Interim Dean; 1993-2000, Dean)

Alexia Green, RN, PhD, FAAN (2000-2010)

Chandice Covington, PhD, PHP(BC), RN, FAAN (Interim Dean 2010)

Yondell Masten, PhD, WHNP-BC, RNC-OB (Interim Dean 2010-2011)

Michael L. Evans, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, FAAN (2012-present)

Brief History

The TTUHSC School of Nursing is the only nursing school on the South Plains that provides baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral education. Since its inception in 1979, the school has offered innovative educational programs to meet the needs of Texas residents. With an expanded selection of program options offered throughout Texas and beyond, the School of Nursing continues to help bolster the state’s nursing workforce by educating more than 1,400 students each year.

The first students were admitted to the Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing four-year degree on the Lubbock campus in August 1981. Four years later, RN to BSN students were admitted in the Permian Basin. The first students were admitted to the Master of Science in Nursing track in 1988. The Accelerated BSN Program, Second Degree Track was launched in Austin and in Lubbock in 2005, and is now also offered in Abilene, Amarillo, the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, and the Permian Basin. In 2008, the inaugural cohort of doctoral students was admitted into the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program. In 2009 the Traditional BSN program was expanded to include Abilene and the Permian Basin, followed by Mansfield in 2021 and Amarillo in 2022. The Accelerated Veteran to BSN Program admitted its inaugural cohort in 2016 in Dallas, San Antonio and Amarillo and is now also offered in Abilene, Austin, Lubbock and the Permian Basin. The BSN to DNP program admitted its inaugural cohort for family nurse practitioners and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners in 2018.

The TTUHSC School of Nursing is known for innovation in nursing education, excellent student retention and graduation rates, above national average National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) scores, and producing well-prepared nurses for West Texas and beyond.

School of Nursing Accreditation

In November 1982, the undergraduate program received full approval from the Board of Nursing for the State of Texas and in December 1983, the National League for Nursing (NLN) granted initial accreditation, which was retroactive prior to the first graduation in June, 1983. The graduate program received initial accreditation in March 1992. Graduate and undergraduate degrees were accredited by NLN Accrediting Commission until 2005. From 2005, forward, the Traditional BSN, RN to BSN, Accelerated Second Degree BSN, and Master’s  in Nursing (MSN) degrees were accredited by the Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree was accredited by CCNE in 2010. Traditional BSN, RN to BSN, Second Degree Accelerated BSN, Master’s in Nursing, and Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees are accredited by CCNE, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC, 20001; (202) 887-6791; www.ccneaccreditation.org.

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing, Nurse Midwifery program, for master’s degree and post master certificate is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME). For inquiries about accreditation, please contact ACME at 8403 Colesville Road Suite 1550 Silver Spring, MD 20910-6374, www.midwife.org/acme, email, acme@acnm.org.

In July 1980, the TTUHSC School of Nursing Continuing Education Program was first accredited by the Western Regional Accrediting Committee of the American Nurses’ Association as a provider of continuing education in nursing.  The accreditation, now offered through the American Nurses Credentialing Center, remained in effect through 2012 when the department closed.

Academic Services

Clinical Services and Community Engagement

Because faculty within the School of Nursing may choose development of a clinical studies program, the School of Nursing maintains an active Clinical Studies Program. Faculty can participate in the delivery of care to residents of West Texas in many institutions and health care facilities.

The School of Nursing operates sites for direct access to services by community clients at the Larry Combest Community Health & Wellness Center in Lubbock. The Larry Combest Community Health & Wellness Center staff and faculty serve medically-underserved populations by providing primary care services to clients over the life span. The Larry Combest Community Health & Wellness Center, a Federally Qualified Health Care nurse managed center provides essential health care access points for residents of the community unable to obtain the needed services for health promotion and disease prevention. The Larry Combest Community Health & Wellness Center is supported by funding from the School of Nursing, federal grants, and reimbursements from third party payers.

Research

Faculty within the School of Nursing also have the choice of developing a research program. The School of Nursing has designed the research program to provide assistance and support for faculty in promoting research interests and developing proposals for funding and implementation of research projects. Current research initiatives focus on improvement of the health of diverse populations through collaborating efforts and providing opportunities for all nursing students to be actively involved in faculty research projects.

Outcomes Management and Evaluation

The School of Nursing bases the outcomes management and evaluation focus on the concept of continuous quality improvement, supported by the Texas Tech University System. Data are collected each semester, semi-annually and/or annually for decision-making and documentation of the School of Nursing achievement of the goals of the Strategic Plan. Students participate in decision-making and documentation of Strategic Plan goal achievement by providing valuable data via completion of assessment tools and by serving as representatives on School of Nursing councils and task forces.

Departments

Undergraduate Departments

The Undergraduate Departments consist of the Traditional BSN Undergraduate Department offering the BSN degree through the Traditional BSN Program, and the Non-Traditional BSN Undergraduate Department offering the BSN degree through the RN to BSN Program and Accelerated BSN Program.

Purpose

The purpose of the Undergraduate Departments is to provide educational and experiential learning opportunities in liberal arts, natural and behavioral sciences, humanities, and nursing arts and sciences, for students desiring to practice professional nursing.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon degree program completion, graduates will be able to:

• Provide person-centered care for individuals, families, and communities.
• Work as an effective member of interprofessional teams to ensure continuous and safe patient care.
• Employ evidence-based practice (EBP) by integrating current research with clinical expertise and patient values to provide optimal patient care. 
• Apply quality improvement measures to continually improve health outcomes consistent with current professional knowledge.
• Utilize informatics to enhance patient safety, manage knowledge and information, make decisions, and communicate more effectively.
• Provide safe care to individuals, families, and communities through individual performance and system effectiveness.
  

Graduate Department

The School of Nursing Graduate Department offers the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Program and the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program. The MSN program has the following tracks: Nursing Administration, Nursing Education, Nursing Informatics, Family Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Midwifery. The DNP Program offers the following tracks: Post-Master’s DNP for Advanced Practice Nursing, BSN to DNP (Family Nurse Practitioner) and BSN to DNP (Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing).

The School of Nursing also offers a Post-Graduate certificate in the following role and population-based focus tracks: Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Midwifery, Nursing Education and Nursing Informatics.

Student Learning Outcomes - MSN and Post-Graduate Certificate

Upon degree program completion, graduates will be able to:

• Provide person-centered care for individuals, families, and communities.
• Work as an effective member of interprofessional teams to ensure continuous and safe patient care.
• Employ evidence-based practice (EBP) by integrating current research with clinical expertise and patient values to provide optimal patient care.
• Apply quality improvement measures to continually improve health outcomes consistent with current professional knowledge.
• Utilize informatics to enhance patient safety, manage knowledge and information, make decisions, and communicate more effectively.
• Provide safe care to individuals, families, and communities through individual performance and system effectiveness.

Student Learning Outcomes - DNP

Upon degree program completion, the graduate will be prepared to:

• Integrate nursing science with knowledge from ethics, biophysical, psychosocial, analytical, and organizational sciences to foster a culture of health and transform clinical practice and health care delivery systems.
• Develop and operationalize effective, culturally relevant, and evidence-based clinical practice approaches that meet current and future needs of patient populations.
• Design and implement evidence-based strategies to analyze and improve outcomes of care at the practice, system, or population levels.
• Apply, use, and evaluate health care information systems, information literacy and patient care technology to advance quality, patient safety, and organizational effectiveness.
• Facilitate interprofessional team building and collaborative leadership skills to create positive change and improve outcomes in complex health care systems.
• Exercise leadership skills to analyze, develop, influence, and implement health policies that advocate social justice, equity, and ethics within all health care arenas.
• Analyze epidemiological, biostatistical, environmental, and other appropriate scientific data to develop culturally relevant and scientifically based health promotion and disease prevention initiatives.
• Employ advanced leadership skills, systems thinking, and accountability to design, deliver and evaluate evidence-based management practices to improve patient, population and health system outcomes (Executive Leadership track).
• Employ advanced practice levels of clinical judgment, systems thinking, and accountability to design, deliver, and evaluate evidence-based care to improve patient and population outcomes (Advanced Practice Nursing Track).

Student Learning Outcomes - BSN to DNP

Upon program completion, the graduate will be prepared to:

• Demonstrate proficiency in assessment, diagnostic reasoning and person-centered care in individuals, populations, and systems in urban and rural communities.
• Implement theory, science-driven knowledge and evaluation of person-centered care to support excellence in clinical practice.
• Appraise, evaluate, and apply data analytics and health care technologies to manage, support, and improve the delivery of safe, high quality, and efficient health care.
• Lead quality improvement initiatives that enhance person-centered care and population health through cost effective, efficient, equitable, and culturally relevant evidence-based strategies.
• Develop leadership skills to analyze and influence health policy affecting the public’s health and care decisions, while advocating for social justice, inclusivity, equity, and ethics in healthcare.
• Engage personal and professional growth through self-reflection, cultivation of resilience and holistic well-being through life- long learning.
• Engage in personal, professional, and leadership development through scholarship, collaboration, organizational involvement and interprofessional partnerships.