Seven graduate from Blinn Vocational Nursing Program

Students completed Blinn’s blended online program

August 31, 2022

Seven graduates of the Blinn College District’s Vocational Nursing Program were urged to never stop learning during a pinning ceremony held recently at the Dr. W.W. O’Donnell Performing Arts Center on the Brenham Campus.

The newest graduates completed Blinn’s blended online program, which includes classroom, laboratory, and clinical training. Clinical rotations are held at hospitals and other healthcare facilities throughout the area.

Graduates were Ashley Alvarez (Houston), Esmeralda Avalos-Bahena (Caldwell), Jessica Bradshaw (Milano), Selena Butler (Huntsville), Ifeyinawa Ikenna-Odigboh (College Station), Kandace Sims (Dallas), and Courtney Coleman (Columbus).

Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences, Technical Education, and Community Programs Jay Anderson and Health Sciences Dean Michelle Trubenstein said that while the graduates have completed the program, their educational journey is just beginning.

“Whatever your next milestone, we encourage you to see your education at Blinn College as only the beginning of a lifetime of learning,” Anderson said.

Trubenstein said, “Today marks the culmination of your vocational nursing education at Blinn, but it’s not the finish line as you never truly stop learning. To be truly successful, you need to learn something new every day and pass it on to the next nursing student. Remember what it was like for you and make it even better for them.”

Coleman and Ikenna-Odigboh said the program has set them on the path to careers in nursing.

“It’s been awesome,” said Ikenna-Odigboh. “We had wonderful instructors and a lot of family support. It’s not easy, but you just put your heart to it, one step at a time, and you’ll make it. I’m looking forward to the future.”

Washington said, “It was a good experience and everything I’d hoped it would be. I’m ready to be a safe and prudent nurse.”

According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, almost 98% of Blinn’s graduates from the program during the past three years have found jobs in the profession.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics , the 2021 annual median pay for a vocational nurse was $48,070, and employment is expected to increase 9% between 2020 and 2030, creating 63,800 new jobs nationwide.

Program graduates are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) and the Nursing Jurisprudence Examination and are considered licensed vocational nurses after passing both exams.

For more information regarding Blinn’s Vocational Nursing Program, visit www.blinn.edu/vocational-nursing.