SAN ANTONIO – A new cross-border collaboration between educational institutions is addressing ongoing shortages in the health care industry.
About 20 students are part of the “The International Nursing Pathway by Alamo Colleges District and Tecmilenio,” a university in Mexico.
“It’s a groundbreaking collaboration because it allows for professionals from one country to practice their profession in another country. And you can think about the endless possibilities regionally for partnerships with Mexico and with other countries perhaps for solving workforce gaps,” said Alejandra Bueno, International Programs Executive Director for the Alamo Colleges District.
The online program is designed to train qualified nurses from Mexico. It prepares them to take and pass the NCLEX Exam, a mandatory requirement to begin the journey to become a registered nurse in the U.S.
“They need to have a good level of English because they will have to pass very soon the NCLEX examination. They will have to be graduated from a nurse and they have to have their license in Mexico,” Bueno said.
The educational institutions have also partnered with Methodist Healthcare System to provide job opportunities.
“They will have to pass the NCLEX examination and then they’re going to have an online interview. If the employer, in this case Methodist, wants to employ them, they’re going to get their visa. They’re going to come here,” Bueno said.
Alamo Colleges District hopes to add more students to the program in the future.