As it has for the past few decades, Texas is still facing a nursing shortage—a problem now severe enough to warrant state lawmakers considering several bills during the 88th Legislature to address the problem.
Data from the Texas Department of State Health Services shows the nursing shortage is particularly bad in the Gulf Coast region, which includes Brazoria and Galveston counties. Jack Frazee—director of government affairs and general counsel for the Texas Nurses Association, which aims to advance the profession across the state—said there is a shortage of about 27,000 nurses statewide. It’s expected to grow to 57,000 by 2032, he said.
“Obviously, the trend line is going in the wrong direction,” he said. The registered nurse turnover rate in the Gulf Coast region in 2022 was nearly 30%, and the vacancy rate of registered nurses was almost 16%—the highest in both areas since 2014. For licensed vocational nurses, the vacancy rate in the Gulf Coast region was 41.8%, said Pamela Lauer, manager for the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, in an email.