New director named on South
by Diana De Leon, Feature Editor

    A 35-year veteran in nursing is the new director of nursing on the South Campus.
     Irma Aguilar taught at Odessa College School of Nursing for 17 years and served as assistant director of the program.
     "I have previous experience as assistant director, and I thought I would enjoy the position at TCC," she said.
     Aguilar earned a certificate as a psychiatric nurse practitioner from the University of Texas at Arlington.
     She also earned a doctorate from University of Texas San Antonio Health Science Center and a master of science from UT-El Paso.
     In addition, Aguilar earned a masters in counseling and education from UT Permian Basin in Odessa, and a bachelor of science in nursing from Texas A&M.
     "I have been in nursing much longer than 20 years," she said. "Nursing has greatly changed."
     Aguilar's duties will include managing the department's budget, establishing long-range plans and goals, developing the curriculum and leading the process of student selection.
     The country is currently experiencing a shortage of nurses, and Aguilar sees ways to increase the number of nursing graduates.
     Some options Aguilar is exploring include enrolling LVN students twice a year and offering an evening transition option.
     "The job encompasses so many concerns on campus as well as in the community," she said.
     Aguilar's plans to strengthen the nursing program and ensure that recent curriculum changes are effective.
     "I would like to see the computer lab in the nursing department upgraded," she said. "Computer-assisted instruction is the cornerstone for both instruction and remediation."
     Aguilar would like to make some changes to the curriculum in the LVN transition program while keeping the quality of education.
     "It is very important to educate nurses who can think, make correct decisions under pressure and clearly understand the legalities of nursing," she said.
     Aguilar, hired in January, said that working for TCC will be a positive experience.
     "What I love most about the job is that there is never a routine day," she said. "Every day is different and provides a new challenge."