Health care
BY LIZZY SPANGLER
When Sam Houston State University nishes its estimated $13 million-$14 million renovation to The Woodlands Center, nearly 25% more nursing students will be able to be admitted per cohort, said Dr. Devon M. Berry, director of SHSU’s School of Nursing. Once the expansion is completed in fall 2029, the school’s enrollment will have grown by around 70%, increasing to a total headcount of around 720—up from 425. Texas is projected to need 307,520 registered nurses by 2038, and a shortage in licensed vocational nurses is projected to begin in 2028, according to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. Following the renovation of classrooms as part of the overall project, the university will also be able to decrease the ratio of faculty to students by about 70%, Berry said. SHSU The Woodlands Center renovations Increasing simulation and skills labs from 3 to 6 Reduce faculty/student ratio by 70% to 1:36 SHSU renovates nursing school
When it comes to licensed vocational nurses, the shortage is projected to begin in Texas in 2028, per the National Center for Health Workforce Anal- ysis. By 2038, the projected supply is 48,480 LVNs compared to the projected demand of 67,890. The projected shortages would give Texas a percent adequacy of 93% for RNs and 71% for LVNs, per the NCHWA.
The conditions
Texas’s projected need for 307,520 registered nurses by 2038 is expected to create a shortage of over 21,000 nurses when compared with the pro- jected supply of 286,210, according to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis.
Texas' registered nurses projections
Supply
Demand
350K 300K 250K 200K 0
307,520
240,490
286,210
234,360
2023 2024
2027 2028 2025 2026 2029 2030
2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038
SOURCE: NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH WORKFORCE ANALYSIS COMMUNITY IMPACT
Applications to all pre-licensure RN programs in Texas
Some context
2021 2022 2023 2024
When it comes to nursing school applications, since 2015, at least 25% of quali ed students were not accepted into pre-licensure RN programs in Texas, according to the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies. According to the data, the number of seats for quali ed students was less than the number of quali ed applicants. In 2024, there were 26,305 seats, but 33,468 quali ed applications—a di erence of 7,163, per the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies. Meanwhile, enrollment in Bachelor of Science in nursing programs is also increasing, growing by 7.6% in 2025, per data from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Seats for new students Quali ed applications Quali ed applications o ered admission Quali ed applications not o ered admission Percentage of quali ed students not accepted
21,479 23,024 25,255 26,305
37,959 38,424 39,910 33,468
22,250 24,704 26,205 24,352
Growing from 9,600 square feet of teaching space to 35,600 square feet 60% through construction Estimated cost of $13 million-$14 million Anticipated completion in October
15,709 13,720 13,705 9,116
41.4% 35.7% 34.3% 27.2%
SOURCE: SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: TEXAS CENTER FOR NURSING WORKFORCE STUDIES COMMUNITY IMPACT
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