The University of Texas at Tyler is expanding its School of Nursing by offering classes during the summer and increasing its enrollment by 180 students every 12 months, according to a university announcement released on Aug. 15 and reported by The Longview News-Journal.
The program's expansion will help with the state's nursing shortage by allowing students to complete their studies and enter the job market more quickly. Texas is expected to be short about 16,000 nurses by 2030, the second largest shortage in the nation behind California, according to a report from the National Center for Health Workforce.
Despite the high demand for nurses, the university's School of Nursing turned away 2,361 qualified applicants from 2011-18 due to lack of room and faculty. The expansion is partly designed to improve these numbers and produce more qualified nurses to fill the shortage.