The Problem 

Texas Still Needs Nurses!

According to projections from the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, demand for full-time registered nurses in Texas exceeds supply by 22,000. Without major increases in funding for nurse education, this gap will widen to 70,000 by 2020 as the state’s rapidly growing population ages and requires more acute care, and as older nurses retire or reduce the hours they work.

The Texas Legislature and nursing schools have responded, but a serious problem still persists.

• Texas nursing schools still turned away 11,217 qualified applicants in 2010, primarily due to a lack of faculty.
• The average age of RNs working in Texas as of September 2010 was 46. The average age of faculty members at Texas nursing schools was 54.
• Texas could lose more than 40 percent of its working nurses in the next 10 years due to retirements. We must get nursing students into the education pipeline now.

According to data from the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, the statewide average hospital vacancy rate for registered nurses was 6.2 percent in 2010, down from 9.2 percent in 2008. National researchers attribute the decrease in the vacancy rate to the economy; during a recession, nurse participation in the labor market increases. However, it is temporary. When the economy improves and nurse participation in the workforce returns to normal levels, Texas will again face a severe shortage of nurses.