Our view: Texas Tech's move will help address nursing shortage
On more than one occasion in this space, we’ve addressed the heroic work of health care workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the pronounced need for more of these talented people to enter the profession.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in nursing. There was a shortage of nurses prior to the pandemic taking hold in March 2020. Now, nearing the two-year mark of COVID-19 impact, the need is greater than ever.
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is moving to do its part to address the nursing shortage. Earlier this week, the school welcomed its first ever class of 20 students to the bachelor of science in nursing program on its Amarillo campus.
“It’s a great day for Texas Tech University Health Sciences,” TTUHSC President Lori Rice-Spearman said in our story. “The mission of our university is to help increase access to health care. With this program, we help to round out a series of choices for health care with the addition of this traditional program to give us a full complement of options for students in the area.”
The timing couldn’t be better. According to projections from the Texas Workforce Commission, Texas has 23,000 more available nursing jobs than registered nurses to fill them. Some of this is a direct result of COVID-19. The fear is that gap will increase in the years ahead, per the Texas Center for the Nursing Workforce Studies.
Originally, health care workers were hailed and thanked for their work, but as the pandemic has dragged on, many have been the focus of anger and frustration.
As a result, a lot of nurses have left the workforce, making a difficult situation tougher – even here in the Panhandle, which has seen some of the highest COVID-19 hospitalization rates throughout the pandemic (hovering above 23 percent as of Thursday). Nursing shortages are especially acute in many rural communities, where already scarce health care resources are stretched even thinner.
Having already expanded its nursing program to campuses in Abilene, Mansfield and Odessa, it makes sense for Tech to also do so in Amarillo.
“Even before the pandemic, the Texas Panhandle struggled to meet the demands for nursing in Amarillo as well as the vast surrounding rural communities,” Valerie Kiper, regional dean of the school of nursing for Amarillo, said in our story. “After years of working with our community partners, we are grateful to be starting a traditional BSN program in this community with this first cohort.”
The program lines up nicely with Texas Tech’s mission of expanding its footprint and visibility throughout the West Texas region, particularly on the health care front.
“Since its establishment in 1981, the TTUHSC School of Nursing has been committed to providing high-quality nurses to meet the changing health care needs in the state of Texas,” Rice-Spearman said. “This nursing program comes at a critical time in response to the current impact of COVID-19. We want to expand the field of very well-prepared nurses into the environment to help fulfill the healthcare needs of West Texas.”
Tech’s expectation is the nursing program will steadily grow beyond 20 students as the school does its part to address the nursing shortage. In addition to the rigorous academic curriculum, Tech officials emphasized the need to also prepare future nurses for psychological impacts comparable to what has been experienced during the pandemic.
No one can dispute the contributions of health care workers not just in these days of COVID-19, but every day. As we have said before, they are the people who have been on the front lines, and many have risked their own health in providing care and compassion to others.
The impact of nurses cannot be overstated, but the region needs more of these selfless caregivers.
Texas Tech is doing its part to make that a reality.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Texas Tech's move will help address nursing shortage
