Mary Rivard, PhD, RNC-OB is the Director of Nursing at Vernon College, located in Vernon and Wichita Falls, Texas. She began her nursing education career in 2002 as a faculty member and became the Director of the Associate Degree Nursing Program in 2015. In 2018 she was also appointed as the Director of the Licensed Vocational Nursing Program, bringing both nursing programs under the same administrative umbrella. Mary began her nursing career as a nurse’s aide in 1982 and completed her BSN in 1994. In 2004, she received her Master’s Degree in Nursing Education from Midwestern State University and went on to receive her PhD in Nursing from The University of Texas at Tyler in 2012.
Mary was employed as a Registered Nurse on Labor and Delivery from 1994-2012 and was certified as an Inpatient Obstetric Nurse and Childbirth Educator. Her nursing interests include education, apprenticeships, obstetrics, labor and delivery, and genetics.
In 2023, in collaboration with Workforce Solutions of North Texas and their practice partner, United Regional Health Care System, the Vernon College Nursing Programs took part in implementation of Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeships for the LVN and ADN Programs. The collaboration and partnership have proven to be valuable and effective in establishing a creative means for delivering quality educational experiences and enhancing the clinical practice readiness of program graduates.