Joyce Cunningham
Communications Director
Texas Nurses Association
512/452-0645, ext. 130
800/ 862-2022, ext.130
jcunningham@texasnurses.org

Nursing Workforce Shortage Coalition Calls for Increased Funding for Nursing Education

(AUSTIN – Feb. 6, 2009) The Texas Nursing Workforce Shortage Coalition, a diverse partnership of health care organizations, business groups and education leaders, today called on legislators to address the state’s critical nursing shortage. The coalition is asking the 2009 Texas Legislature to provide an additional $60 million in special-item funding to increase the annual production of RN graduates from 7,000 in 2007 to 13,000 in 2013, almost doubling the output of nurses.

“Demand for full-time registered nurses in Texas in 2008 exceeds supply by 22,000 and – 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 as older nurses retire or reduce the hours they work,” said Dan Stultz, M.D., FACP, FACHE, president/CEO of the Texas Hospital Association and chairman of the coalition. “Hospitals have vacancies now and are adding new beds to keep up with population growth. We need Texas nurses to fill those jobs, and the only way to get more nurses is to expand the education pipeline. The time for action is now.”

Texas Association of Business President Bill Hammond noted that the issue impacts economic development in Texas communities. “This is a workforce crisis we cannot afford to ignore,” said Hammond. “Nursing careers offer good-paying, recession-proof jobs. More nurses mean more hospital beds can be staffed – that’s a positive health and economic outcome that local chambers, businesses and taxpayers can and should support,” he said.

While hospitals have been recruiting foreign nurses or hiring agency staff to fill vacancies, Texas nursing schools have turned away thousands of qualified applicants – some 8,000 in 2008 alone. In many cases, the problem is a shortage of qualified faculty. “There is tremendous interest from thousands of potential students in nursing as a career,” said Susan Sportsman, RN, Ph.D., president of the Texas Nurses Association and dean, Midwestern State University College of Health and Human Service. “Unfortunately, a lack of nursing faculty is a major barrier to educating and graduating more nurses. That’s why it’s imperative that Texas supports with state funding the coalition’s efforts to attract the qualified nursing faculty that can increase the number of graduates.”

The Texas Legislature has allocated some funding for nursing education during the last several sessions and it has helped. In 2007, Texas nursing schools graduated 7,000 new registered nurses – a 55 percent increase over the 4,500 produced in 2001. However, the increase is far below the numbers needed to close the supply/demand gap. The additional $60 million in funding will enable schools to: 

• Increase capacity. Nursing schools cite the lack of faculty as the biggest barrier to enrolling more students. 
• Improve efficiency. State dollars should be used to create incentives for nursing schools to admit and graduate more registered nursing students within a reasonable time. 
• Assist nursing students. Financial aid and other incentives should be available to nursing students to encourage enrollment and graduation.

Nursing schools that receive funding will be held accountable for producing additional graduates. Under the coalition’s proposal, schools with records of producing year-over-year increases in the number of graduates or achieving high graduation rates would be given upfront funding to build on their proven successes. Schools with lower graduation rates still would have an opportunity to request funding based on a contract to produce additional graduates and would be required to meet specified benchmarks.

“Texas needs more nurses now, and the involvement of every nursing school is critical to reaching that goal. By bringing all of the stakeholders together to work toward a common purpose, the coalition developed a win-win proposal that will provide long-term benefits for Texas,” said Stultz.

The Texas Nursing Workforce Shortage Coalition is led by the Texas Hospital Association and Texas Nurses Association. The group has nearly 100 members, and business organizations and others continue to join. For more details about the coalition and its proposal to increase nursing graduates, visit www.TexasNeedsNurses.org.

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