Nursing shortage in Texas reaches crisis stage

"Communities have been working on a variety of partnerships and collaborations to address the demand, but it has taken a while to get to the point where we are now hearing of all of the successes," she said. "The partnership philosophy will pull us through this crisis."

Examples of recent collaborations include:

• St. David's Community Health Foundation donated $6 million to Texas State University-San Marcos to help establish a school of nursing at the university’s Round Rock Higher Education Center. The funds will be used to help hire new faculty, equip laboratories and offset other costs until the school is self-sustaining. The proposed St. David's School of Nursing at Texas State University will be housed in Texas State's College of Health Professions and will offer other programs that include clinical laboratory science, communication disorders, health administration, health information management, health services research, physical therapy, radiation therapy, respiratory care and social work. The Texas Legislature previously approved tuition revenue bonds for a second building at the Round Rock Higher Education Center that will house the school of nursing.
• At the urging of the Texas Hospital Association, Texas Nurses Association and the Greater Houston Partnership, the Legislature recently appropriated $14.7 million for the Nursing Shortage Reduction Program, which represents a 50 percent increase over 2006-07 funding for nursing education programs. Combined with the $4.05 million per biennium in tobacco settlement proceeds that lawmakers have allocated for nursing instruction through 2011, Sjoberg expects to see an array of innovative community partnerships that expand educational opportunities for nurses.
• To attract more nursing students and ease the statewide shortage, Angelo State University has begun offering its graduate nursing program only online. The Web-based program allows nurses to work while furthering their education and expanding their career options with online classes.
• Laredo Community College (LCC) recently forged a partnership with Laredo Medical Center and Laredo Specialty Hospital to increase admission to the school's nursing program by funding the $72,000 salary for an additional nursing instructor. Without the financial assistance from the two hospitals, LCC would not have been able to increase its nursing staff. The collaboration has opened the school's doors for 20 more nursing students per year.