Grant boosts support for Emergency/Trauma Care NP students
Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston’s Emergency/Trauma Care (ETC) Nurse Practitioner program has been continuously funded since 2010 by grants from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), and the most recent renewal increases the stipend to nurse practitioner students to $10,000.
The recently awarded THECB grant of $1,097,640 funds the program from August 2024 through July 2026. Students anywhere in Texas may apply for fall or spring semesters.
“The THECB recognizes the vitally important role nurse practitioners play in caring for patients experiencing health care emergencies,” said Professor Elda Ramirez, ETC track coordinator and associate dean for strategic initiatives and community engagement. “Students benefit from clinical rotations in urban, rural, and community hospitals and with ambulance services all across Texas.”
Established in 1994, Cizik School of Nursing’s ETC program was the first of its kind in the nation. It prepares students to take the American Academy of Nurse Practitioner Certification Board Certification Exam for Emergency Nurse Practitioners (ENPs). In addition to the stipend, students receive free registration for nationally recognized continuing education programs.
The ETC specialty concentration is open to licensed Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) and students on the FNP track of Cizik School of Nursing’s Master of Science in Nursing or Doctor of Nursing Practice program. The curriculum encompasses two didactic and two clinical courses that equal 12 credit hours. Students complete 480 clinical hours over three semesters. The hybrid format includes online and in-person components. Students gain exposure to cadaver labs, ultrasound programs, and Cizik School of Nursing’s state-of-the-art Simulation and Clinical Performance Laboratory.
In addition to funding the continuation of the program and increasing student stipends, the grant will support development of a pre-hospital subspeciality for ENPs to prepare them to work with emergency medical services.
Visit the Emergency/Trauma Care page of the Cizik School of Nursing website for more information.
