As the newly established nursing program at University of Houston-Clear Lake Pearland campus enters its second semester, local legislators are exploring future expansions to meet the demand for nurses as well as offering a bachelor's degree program for local hospital workers. State Rep. Ed Thompson, R-Pearland, filed a bill in March requesting about $34 million to construct a health sciences building at the Pearland campus on land that would be donated by the city of Pearland. The new health sciences building would house a variety of programs for medical professionals, including a four-year program for nursing and potentially master's and doctorate programs. "Hospitals want to have nurses who have [bachelor's] degrees, and we are trying to get that done," Thompson said. "We need space to accommodate the growth."

Degree offerings

In 2013, 49 percent of nurses in Texas held an associate degree, 39.6 percent reported graduating from a four-year program and 0.4 percent achieved a master's degree, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. A number of health care providers now require registered nurses to have a bachelor of science in nursing or a more advanced degree as part of an effort to improve patient outcomes, said Kacie Spencer, dean for the Pearland campus of Chamberlain College of Nursing. "Today, nearly half of hospitals and other health care settings require incoming nurses to have a BSN," Spencer said. "This heightened focus on baccalaureate education puts a spotlight on nursing programs that offer continuing education or degree-completion opportunities for many of the RNs who aspire to advance their education." The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program offered at UHCL-Pearland provides another level of education to registered nurses. It offers junior- and senior-level courses to students who complete their first two years at neighboring community colleges. "One of the biggest shortages we have right now is the amount of nurses who have a bachelor's degree," said Karen Alexander, UHCL-Pearland nursing program director. "And that's the focus of our program and how and why it was created." In its first semester the UHCL-Pearland program maxed out in student capacity. In other words, the school expected to receive 30 students for its first year but admitted 29 for the first semester alone, she said. Spencer said the 2014 opening of Chamberlain's Pearland campus increased access to baccalaureate nursing education for students across Texas. "Chamberlain students benefit from a student-centric learning environment enhanced by small class sizes, personalized attention from faculty, diverse clinical-learning opportunities, experiential learning and a singular focus on preparing nurses for successful careers," she said.

Looking forward

Needed space for the nursing program at UHCL-Pearland amounts to about 60,000 square feet, Thompson said. The proposed health sciences building would sit on about 15 of 40 available acres, which is owned by the city of Pearland. Thompson's bill is still in its infancy, and he said he hopes it will receive a hearing before state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Simonton, who heads the House's Higher Education Committee, in the coming months. Zerwas has submitted a separate House bill to allocate about $24 million in funding for the construction of the health sciences building. Thompson said if his bill fails to receive support, he would work with Zerwas to try and increase the amount of funds for the building. "The [Pearland campus] is a little different from other campuses in that it is essentially an agreement between the city of Pearland and UHCL, so it is, in sorts, a rent-a-home arrangement," Thompson said. "The state has not put any money into that campus. I feel like it has all been done locally, and now it's time for the state to step up and participate."

Supply and demand

With the opening of the Pearland Medical Center and construction projects by both Memorial Hermann and the Methodist Hospital systems, nurses and trained professionals are, and will continue to be, in high demand, Pearland Mayor Tom Reid said. Expanding the UHCL-Pearland nursing program and building a health science center would also increase the possibility of more medical facilities choosing to build in Pearland and the surrounding areas, he said. "[The hospitals] express a desire and need to have hundreds of employees—a major number being nurses—so there is a need for a large number of trained nurses in the area, and we have the opportunity to provide that training," Reid said. A nationwide nursing shortage continues to create staffing problems in Greater Houston area hospitals. The U.S. Bureau of Health Professions projects a shortage of 808,000 registered nurses nationally by 2020. Retiring nurses and increased demand following the implementation of President Barack Obama's health care law are both expected to contribute to the shortage. Between 2005 and 2020 demand for registered nurses in Texas is expected to increase by 86 percent while supply is only expected to increase by 53 percent, according to the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies. Chris Van Deusen, spokesman for the Department of State Health Services, said the nurse supply ratio—a figure determined by comparing population to total number of RNs—increased 47.6 percent in Texas from 2007 to 2013. The nurse supply ratio for Texas in 2013 was 737 per 100,000 people, which falls well below the national ratio last measured at around 920 in a 2010 American Community Survey. However local providers said they are managing to keep up with the demand. Pearland Medical Center had a wide pool of candidates to choose from when filling its staff, said Nancy Edgar, vice president of human resources with HCA Gulf Coast Division, the parent organization of the Pearland Medical Center. "The solutions to this nationwide challenge are long term in nature and involve continuing the flow of new nurses into the profession and continuing to improve the work environment for our tenured nurses, particularly those who want to stay in bedside nursing," Edgar said. "We do have the vast majority of our positions at Pearland filled at this time, but we are on a growth trajectory that will continue to add new positions to our staff." Robert Kitto, system director for talent acquisition at Memorial Hermann, said the hospital offers a nursing residency program to help graduate nurses continue their education and improve their skills as well as to improve nurse retention. It offers guidance and instruction from clinical experts as well as projects and classes. "The goal of our program is to provide a supportive environment for these nurses to develop professionally and to acquire working experience," he said. "This program is an investment in the future of nursing for our industry and for the community we serve."