Dental assistant embraces new path at Hunt School of Nursing
| As a registered dental assistant at the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic, Rudy Vigil supports Hunt School of Dental Medicine students and faculty daily |
| So it was natural that when Vigil received his first white coat as a member of the Hunt School of Nursing’s Spring 2025 cohort, dental students were in attendance – cheering at the top of their lungs – to support him. |
| “It was the dental students who encouraged me to apply to nursing school,” Vigil said. “They believed I could get in, and I said to myself, ‘If they think I can do it, then I have to.'” |
| The white coat ceremony is a tradition celebrating the start of students’ nursing education. During the ceremony, each student receives a white coat embroidered with the Hunt School of Nursing seal. The coat serves as a powerful symbol of compassion and humanism in community care — qualities central to their future careers. |
| Vigil has seen the power of nurses in action. |
| “My grandpa was in the hospital with COVID-19, and the nurses treated him like he was their grandpa,” he said. “Since then, nursing has always been in the back of my mind. |
| The event also showcases Texas Tech Health El Paso’s dedication to growing our own through the Hunt School of Nursing’s Accelerated B.S.N. program. This rigorous 16-month pathway leads to a bachelor’s degree in nursing and prepares graduates for rewarding and high-demand careers in hospitals and clinics of our Borderplex community. |