State awards WC $658K for nursing program
Weatherford College has been awarded $658,141 in state funding to expand hands-on training for students in its Associate Degree Nursing program.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board announced the awards on Wednesday as part of its Nursing Shortage Reduction Program, which provides grants to colleges and universities to increase the number of students who can be trained for nursing careers.
At WC’s Alesia Armstrong Wiggs School of Nursing, the funding will be used to convert an existing nursing skills lab into a high‑fidelity simulation laboratory in the Don Allen Health Science Building, allowing more students to gain real‑world clinical experience on campus as hospitals across the state face growing limits on student placements.
The project was developed under the leadership of Melanie Sharp, director of the Associate Degree Nursing program, and centers on using advanced simulation to help meet the rising demand for nurses.
“This project will increase program capacity and strengthen clinical competency by allowing more students to move through realistic, evidence‑based clinical scenarios,” Sharp said. “High‑fidelity simulation helps students develop the critical thinking, clinical judgment and patient safety skills they need before entering the healthcare workforce.”
Kathy Boswell, dean of health sciences, said simulation plays a critical role as nursing programs expand statewide.
“As nursing programs across the state grow to address the shortage, we often find ourselves short of clinical opportunities for students,” Boswell said. “By increasing high‑fidelity simulation, our faculty can simulate complex patient conditions that provide greater learning opportunities and better prepare our students for the workforce.”
The upgraded lab will add 12 simulated hospital bed spaces equipped with lifelike patient manikins, monitoring equipment, medication systems and audiovisual technology that allows faculty to observe scenarios and guide students through post‑simulation discussions.
Limited access to hospital clinical sites remains one of the biggest barriers to expanding nursing programs. While the Texas Board of Nursing allows up to half of the required clinical training to be completed through simulation, WC currently uses simulation for about 15% to 18% of clinical hours.
The expanded facility is expected to allow the program to increase simulation use to about 30%, creating room to admit more students while maintaining patient safety and instructional standards.
Demand for the program already far exceeds available seats. In fall 2025, the college received 383 applications for the ADN program but could accept only 160 students.
State workforce data shows the need for nurses will continue to grow. The Texas Department of State Health Services projects the state will face a shortage of more than 56,000 registered nurses by 2036.
Planning for the project is already underway, with a faculty task force prepared to assist with equipment selection, setup and training. WC currently has four full‑time faculty members dedicated to simulation instruction.
Once completed, the facility will serve as a modern simulation training center supporting nursing education and workforce development in the region.
WC was one of 85 institutions statewide to receive funding during the current grant cycle, which runs from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2028. Its award ranks among the larger grants made to community colleges in the region.