Galen College of Nursing Opens New Campus in Austin, Texas

AUSTIN, Texas, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Galen College of Nursing, one of the largest educators of nurses in the United States, continues its mission to expand access to quality nursing education with the announcement of a new campus in Austin, Texas. In addition to Miami, Florida, this is the second new campus opening since Galen became part of HCA Healthcare (NYSE: HCA) in 2020 to become a premier career destination for nurses while helping the nation's increasing nursing workforce needs. HCA Healthcare is Austin-based St. David's HealthCare's national partner.

The 26,000-square-foot campus features resources designed to elevate the student experience and prepare future nurses to enter the field. Solely focused on nursing education, Galen prepares a diverse population of students to become nurses who deliver quality, compassionate care. In partnership with HCA Healthcare—the national partner of St. David's HealthCare, Galen will bring one of the highest levels of nursing education to the Austin region with a state-of-the-art facility featuring advanced patient simulation labs and classroom learning environments designed to encourage hands-on learning. Galen's student support model has helped thousands of students enter the profession with consistently high NCLEX pass rates.

"We are thrilled to bring our 30 years of experience exclusively educating nurses to the community and look forward to providing new opportunities to those called to nursing in the Austin area," said Mark Vogt, Galen's Chief Executive Officer. Continued Vogt, "At Galen, we are uniquely positioned to help expand the pipeline of qualified nurses in Austin and are committed to helping stem the nursing shortage threatening the delivery of quality care across the country."

"Through our national partner, HCA Healthcare, we are excited to work with Galen to help recruit more prospective nursing students who will go on to expand and enhance our community workforce," David Huffstutler, president and chief executive officer of St. David's HealthCare, said. "With this Academic Practice Partnership, we can also work together to bridge the education-to-practice gap, providing the best patient care possible."

Located at 1201 W. Louis Henna Blvd., the Austin campus is designed to cultivate learning with advanced classroom and simulation technology mixed with collaborative and creative space. Created with students in mind, the campus environment reflects a high-quality education approach and an expression of commitment to students and the community at large. The Austin campus will offer three programs, including:

• 3-Year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
• Licensed Vocational Nursing (LVN)
• Licensed Vocational Nursing to Associate Degree in Nursing Bridge (LVN to ADN Bridge)

The first term for 3-year BSN program will begin September 30 and the first term for the LVN and LVN to BSN programs are scheduled to start January 3. Enrollment is currently in progress. In addition, Galen offers online RN to BSN and MSN programs for nurses aspiring to advance their education in support of career growth and development.

Appointments for virtual and in-person admissions can be scheduled by calling (877) 223-7040 or visiting galencollege.edu.

About Galen College of Nursing
Founded over 30 years ago, Galen College of Nursing is one of the largest private nursing schools in the United States. With a focus solely on nursing education, Galen offers master's, baccalaureate, associate, and practical/vocational nursing programs, to over 8,000 students on its campuses in Louisville and Hazard, KY.; San Antonio, TX; Tampa Bay and Miami, FL.; Cincinnati, OH; and online. Galen is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Programmatic accreditation status for Galen's multiple programs and nationwide campuses can be found at https://www.galencollege.edu/about-galen/accreditation. For more information about Galen College of Nursing, visit galencollege.edu.

About St. David's HealthCare
St. David's HealthCare includes eight of the area's leading hospitals and is one of the largest health systems in Texas. The organization has been recognized with a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award—the nation's highest presidential honor for performance excellence. St. David's HealthCare is the fourth-largest private employer in the Austin area, with more than 10,500 colleagues across 169 sites of care.

St. David's HealthCare is a unique partnership between hospital management company HCA Healthcare and two local non-profits—St. David's Foundation and Georgetown Health Foundation. The proceeds from the operations of the hospitals fund the foundations, which, in turn, invest those dollars back into the community. Since the inception of St. David's HealthCare in 1996, nearly $700 million has been given back to the community to improve the health and healthcare of Central Texans. 

About HCA Healthcare
Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services, comprising 185 hospitals and approximately 1,800 sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics, in 21 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44 percent. HCA Healthcare is a learning healthcare system that uses its more than 31 million annual patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and save lives. Please click here to connect with HCA Healthcare on social media.

All references to "Company," "HCA" and "HCA Healthcare" as used throughout this document refer to HCA Healthcare, Inc. and its affiliates.

MEDIA CONTACTS: 
Erin Ochoa (St. David's HealthCare) 512-788-1616
Audria Denker (Galen College of Nursing) 502-410-6220

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SOURCE Galen College of Nursing