Nurse leaders from the University of Texas at Tyler and Harris Health System are newly appointed to serve on the committee for the Professional Nursing Shortage Reduction Program at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Dr. Barbara Haas, dean of the University of Texas at Tyler School of Nursing and Jackie Brock, DNP, RN, executive vice president and chief nursing executive at Harris Health join colleagues and representatives on the committee from community colleges, public health-related institutions, the hospital industry, public technical colleges, independent institutions, and public universities.
“Jackie and Barbara not only understand what it means to serve as a nurse at the bedside. They understand the nursing shortage in Texas and what’s needed to solve it,” said Maureen Milligan, PhD, CEO, Teaching Hospitals of Texas. Their hands-on clinical, classroom, academic health science center and leadership experiences will be invaluable assets to the committee’s work to solve what is one of our state’s most pressing challenges.”
Texas faces a projected shortage of 12,572 licensed vocational nurses and 57,012 registered nurses by 2032. Insufficient clinical training capacity and insufficient number of nurse faculty are the primary obstacles to growing a high-quality Texas nurse workforce.
Texas’ teaching hospitals comprise more than 12 percent of hospital beds in the state and employ more than 15 percent of the state’s hospital-based registered nurses. They also serve as the clinical rotation sites for nursing students to receive essential hands-on education and training before graduating from nursing school.
As the primary state association for teaching hospitals and public hospitals, THOT continues to develop strategies to increase the nurse workforce. THOT advocates for funding for preceptor pay differentials at clinical sites to increase the number of preceptors, funding for clinical nurse faculty grant programs, and funding of grants to support innovations in nursing education and training. Senate Bill 25, 87th Legislature, Regular Session, authorizes grants for hospitals and other clinical sites to support innovations in nursing education and training, but the grants are not currently funded.
As a negotiated rulemaking committee, the THECB committee is tasked with reviewing and amending definitions for the Professional Nursing Shortage Reduction Program in the Texas Administrative Code. Amending the definitions is intended to help the program operate more effectively and ensure it adapts to meet the evolving health care needs of the state.
Hear Drs. Brock and Haas and other THOT member nurse leaders talk about the critical role nurse preceptors play in educating and guiding nursing students so they can take their place at the bedside once they graduate and other needed training innovations address the state’s nursing shortage.
