BY ANGELA BONILLA
Quotes of note
Next steps
As of March 17, SNAPPI was approved for an additional $999,500 grant to help with scaling through replication, expansion and diversi cation in the state, SHSU ocials told Community Impact . The expansion could help increase the number of nursing educators, in turn boosting the number of quali ed nurses entering the workforce, Berry said. Meanwhile, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center leadership will be meeting with SHSU in late June to discuss the next steps in that hospital system’s partnership with SHSU. It currently participates at the system’s Cypress campus. According to SHSU, Gov. Greg Abbott’s Task Force on Health Care Workforce Shortages has highlighted SNAPPI as a model for addressing the state’s health care workforce challenges going forward. “If Texas indeed wants to have the best nursing workforce in the country, we’ve got to nd a way together at the state level to fund a SNAPPI-like program to oset that faculty shortage, and to do this magic piece of when a nurse takes students to the unit that she works on,” Berry said. 23% of RNs have retired or plan to retire over the next 5 years. 46 is the average age for nurses. 2032 is the year by which Texas will face a shortage of most nurse types.
“Our long-term goal is to get permanent funding for the SNAPPI program throughout the state of Texas.” DEVON BERRY, DIRECTOR,
“We’re nding that perfect path ... to [train] nurses that ... are more practice-ready when they graduate.”
MELANIE GRAVES, DIRECTOR OF NURSING SERVICES, ST. LUKE’S HEALTH THE WOODLANDS
SCHOOL OF NURSING AT SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY
“[SNAPPI] gives the opportunity ... to try something that is new and not as dicult on your body.” CHRISTIE DAWSON, CHIEF
“[SNAPPI] allows our nurses to lead clinical instruction without completely stepping away from patient care.” KERRIE GUERRERO,
NURSING OFFICER, MEMORIAL HERMANN CYPRESS HOSPITAL
CHIEF NURSING OFFICER, HOUSTON METHODIST THE WOODLANDS HOSPITAL
Assessing the need
of Patient Care Services at St. Luke’s Health-The Woodlands. “[He] told me, ‘I was thinking about going into engineering, but now I’ve decided to go into nursing.’” Beckham said the district is also looking to expand the program to juniors to get them engaged at an earlier age. Currently, the district has an annual program geared toward juniors, Junior Jumpstart, which includes information about health care careers.
Eorts to engage students in nursing careers through education partnerships also begin at the high school level in Conroe ISD through a collabo- ration with St. Luke’s Health. Jessica Beckham, a CISD college and career counselor, said the monthly program promotes awareness to help students get a foot in the door with a future career. “We had a student that came to every single one of our presentations,” said Lisa Williams, director
SOURCES: SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY, TEXAS CENTER FOR NURSING WORKFORCE STUDIESCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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