Texas A&M Texarkana to introduce new Family Nurse Practitioner degree

  • By News Desk

The healthcare of the Four States region will be more secure as Texas A&M Texarkana has secured funding to develop and begin offering degrees for people wanting to become a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP).

An FNP is an advanced nursing professional who works either independently or in conjunction with a licensed physician. These health professionals see patients and offer prescriptions either in their own name or under the direction of a physician — depending on laws in each state.

This means that the Texarkana area will have more practitioners available to the community to see patients for minor or routine visits - along with some specialized care..

The funding for the program came from an initiative called the Better East Texas Initiative (BET). Texas A&M received $3.6 million in funding, and the money was championed by Rep. Gary VanDeaver and Sen. Bryan Hughes.

 "Texas A&M University-Texarkana understands its impact on and responsibility to Texarkana and the entire East Texas region, and strives to implement academic programs that will make the area an even better place to work and live," said University President Dr. Emily Cutrer.