Presentation to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board October 26, 2006 Strategies to Increase Number of Graduates from Initial RN Licensure Programs

Focus of Study State needs to increase nurse production by 50% by 2010 Find strategies for increasing graduation rates from initial RN licensure programs (Senate Bill 132) Find ways to increase the number of graduates from these programs to meet targets for future demand for nurses

Graduation vs. Completion Graduation rate is % of students who complete a degree within a given period of time (e.g. BSN=6yrs) Completion rate is % of students who complete the nursing course sequence within 1 year (LVN-RN) or 2 years (RN) Persistence rate is % of students who did not complete within 2 years but who are persisting the following semester

Results 56% completed within 2 years 13% persisted after 2 years 31% dropped within 2 years

Key Findings Nursing students are older (26) than students in other programs (21) Nursing students tend to have more family and financial commitments

Key Findings 100% completion rate will not alone increase graduates by 50% Faculty shortages limit both enrollment and completion rates Large number of faculty retirements will increase shortage

Key Findings Graduate students prefer advanced practice careers Increased student financial aid will improve completion Schools need to rethink selection criteria to improve completion rates

Key Recommendations Increase nursing faculty salaries to be competitive with practice salaries Increase student financial aid & services Consider new selection criteria based on probability of completion