THOT’s members are the largest employers of hospital-based nurses and serve as clinical training sites for nursing and other healthcare professional students.

Our work focuses on ensuring a strong nursing pipeline and a strong and resilient nursing workforce as well as supporting clinical residencies and training for other healthcare professionals, including respiratory therapists, pharmacists, lab technicians, surgical technologists, and medical assistants.

THOT’s members train students in all clinical professions, ensuring a strong workforce pipeline.

Texas’ nursing shortage precedes the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic made the shortage even more acute. For more than a decade, analysts have forecast a growing gap between available licensed registered nurses and need. The ongoing pandemic and the unrelenting need for inpatient care widened that gap even further. In addition, the increased reliance on temporary and contract nurses drove up staffing costs, causing more nurses to leave full-time hospital employment for more lucrative temporary positions.

Amid the significant staffing challenges, Texas’ teaching hospitals are staying true to their patient care and educational missions.

In October 2021, THOT interviewed nursing leaders with three of our member institutions to better understand the operational shifts and investments taken to manage the nurse staffing shortage.

Among the findings:

As part of its advocacy on behalf of Texas teaching hospitals, THOT engages with legislative and regulatory leaders on long-term health care workforce solutions.

Download the brief to learn more about how our members navigated nursing challenged during the pandemic.