Texas nursing student recognized at prestigious conference

Texas nursing student recognized at prestigious conference

The University of Texas has announced that Jennifer Chilton, an online nursing student currently enrolled at UT's Tyler College of Nursing and Health Sciences, was recently recognized at the Southern Nursing Research Society's annual research meeting.

Chilton, who was one of 30 students to be selected to present their research at the conference, will graduate in May 2012 with a Ph.D. in nursing, according to The Daily You, UT Tyler's student newspaper.
In her presentation, titled Epiphanies and Wellness, Chilton examined the need for programs that engage adolescent women and inspire them to live healthier.

"I appreciate the support and guidance from the outstanding faculty in the online nursing Ph.D. program," Chilton told the newspaper.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for nurses is expected to grow by 23 percent over the next seven years. The top salaries in the field already exceed $83,000 per year.

Labor Department analysts predict that by 2012, a total of 1 million nurses will be needed to care for the aging population, and some 587,000 new nursing jobs will be created nationwide.

By Mark Danson