CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — One Coastal Bend College nursing student won't be able to attend classes in the fall due to a shortage of instructors.
Rio Grande Valley resident Jenny Vela has been working for years as an licensed vocational nurse and is currently a home-health care professional.
"I honestly thought that 2023 was going to be my year to finally get my R.N. degree," she said. "But unfortunately, this happened."
Vela is referring to a letter sent to her and other nursing students, detailing how the school won't be offering instruction this year because of an instructor shortage.
"I get the letter saying we can't go to school because the Texas Board of Nursing closed them down because their curriculum wasn't up to par," she said.
3NEWS reached out to Coastal Bend College, but did not receive a response.
However, Vela did get a response from Western Governors University in Austin, which is a partner school to Coastal Bend College.
WGU Regional Vice President for the South Region Linda Battles sent Vela a post which acknowledges the teacher shortage.
The post said that the shortage in nursing educators is causing many learning institutions to have hard time filling those vacancies.
"The schools down here, they're so expensive," Vela said. "Each one has requirements that they expect you to leave your full-time job and go to school full-time. I can't do that. I have to provide for my family."
In the letter, Coastal Bend College said it hopes to improve the program so that it can continue into 2024.
"We chose this college because we can afford it number one, two we don't have to quit our jobs full time," she said. "Three we would just car pool over there."
Vela said she and six other home health care LVN's hope they can get into another program to continue their education that would lead to an increase in income.
More from 3News on KIIITV.com:
- Here's when you can watch the 2023 solar eclipse over Corpus Christi
- Craigslist car scam puts Corpus Christi family out 20K; investigation showed car was also stolen
- More than 80 people cited, 13 arrested in Prime Time gameroom bust
- New STAAR test moves online, removes promotion requirement and some stress for parents, students
- Calallen women sees unexpected 16K demolition bill after saving neighbor from tragic house fire
- Five projects approved for Downtown Corpus Christi including luxury bar, hotel
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for your daily news and exclusive extended interviews.
Do you have a news tip? Tell 3!
Email tell3@kiiitv.com so we can get in touch with you about your story should we have questions or need more information. We realize some stories are sensitive in nature. Let us know if you'd like to remain anonymous.