Health care helps drive Central Texas job market

What's happening

Nursing programs across the country turned away 93,176 qualified applications in 2025—a record high—primarily due to insufficient clinical placement sites, faculty shortages and limited classroom space, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Despite the hurdles, health sciences was the fastest-growing area of study at Austin Community College in fall 2025, with enrollment up 18.3%—the largest increase of any program area—according to enrollment data. Texas also did not fund its nurse preceptor grant program, which funds hospitals to train nursing students through hands-on clinical supervision, in the state budget, according to the Texas Hospital Association.

“Clinical placement space is the main barrier to growing our health science programs,” King said. “There is not a lack of people who want to enter health care careers.”

What's next

ACC, Hays CISD, Pflugerville ISD and regional health care partners formally launched the Central Texas Healthcare Academy on May 11.

About 560 students are enrolled for the free dual credit program this fall, which ACC said serves seven high schools across HCISD and PfISD.

Students begin taking classes in ninth grade across five career tracks:

• Professional nursing
• Diagnostic medical imaging
• Surgical technology
• Health information technology
• Paramedic

“Central Texas Healthcare Academy cannot address the bottleneck of clinical placements directly but will give high school students an opportunity for hands-on training in high school that will accelerate their education,” King said.