Texas Tech University

Nursing Student Credits Texas Tech Nutrition Program with Accelerated BSN Success

Nutrition alumna combines interest in nutrition with career in nursing

Texas Tech Nutrition Alumni and Nursing Student2018 Nutritional Sciences (NS) alumna, Taylor Preston, decided to study nutrition because she always had a great desire to work in the health care field. Beyond that, she wanted to learn more about how diet impacts the human body and its ability to function properly. Taylor says her bachelor's degree in nutrition at Texas Tech University stood out for its supportive and encouraging faculty.

"Texas Tech's NS program is well recognized and is known to produce graduates that have a high caliber of knowledge related to the field," Taylor said. "The nutrition degree provided me with a very strong base knowledge of many components of health and the health care system."

Just before graduating, Taylor earned her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license while working at a Lubbock nursing home. With the dream of becoming a Registered Nurse (RN) in emergency medicine or oncology, Taylor knew that nursing school was the next step.

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Nursing offers students like Taylor the opportunity to apply to the Accelerated Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. For students who have previously earned a college bachelor's degree, the 12-month program is a perfect fit for nutritional sciences majors.

"My nutrition degree prepared me for nursing school, by teaching me study habits that are needed to be successful in the Second Degree Accelerated BSN program at TTUHSC," Taylor said. "I am passionate about nutrition and want to be able to provide clients with information that they can continue to use after leaving my care. I feel as though being an RN will allow me to be able to do this."

In addition to learning effective study habits in a clinical environment, Taylor credits the Nutritional Sciences program at Texas Tech with providing background knowledge in areas of disease, medication, vitamins, and minerals.

"I already have a very strong background of various concepts I have encountered at this point in nursing school," Taylor said. "My background in nutrition has made the transition to nursing school easier as the testing formats and expectation are very similar."

As Taylor continues on in nursing school, she plans to become a Certified Nutrition Support Clinician®(CNSC®), which is a specialized practice for multiple health care professionals including nurses. As a long-term goal, she plans to pursue a career path as a Nurse Practitioner.

"I wanted to become a nurse so that I was able to provide hands-on care to patients and improve their health physically and mentally—not only by providing nursing care, but also by using my knowledge of nutrition to improve their well-being," Taylor explained. "I have absolutely no hesitation recommending the Nutritional Science degree to every student considering a health profession. I strongly believe my NS degree prepared me to be successful in the ABSN program."

For students interested in discovering degree options in the College of Human Sciences for a pre-professional health career, please visit www.phc.hs.ttu.edu.