Regulators, legislators and nursing leaders are increasingly concerned about the barriers to academic progression in Texas. Our APIN project aims to address these challenges to create a more educated and diverse Texas nursing workforce to meet current and future health care needs.

Progress

The Texas Nurses Foundation and Texas Team Action Coalition have developed the Consortium to Advance Baccalaureate Nursing Education in Texas (CABNET), a multi-focused statewide model to assist all RN to BSN programs in the state to increase the number of associate degree prepared nurses graduating each year from 1,826 in AY2010- 2011 to 4,200 in AY2013-2014, a 230 percent increase. Statewide commitment to achieve the grant goals has been generated from both education and practice sectors, while implementation of the model’s shared statewide competency-based curriculum at the associate degree level is already demonstrating success through 1+2+1 community college and university partnerships. Texas will implement and track the progress of the CABNET model, and the grant team also will evaluate quantitative and qualitative measures through data analysis, using statistical methods or qualitative analysis methods as appropriate. The Texas APIN Team has developed an ethnic and gender diversity mentorship program that assists RNs to obtain their BSN in eight regions of Texas. Diversity Champions and mentors are tasked with engaging students in all regions to confront their barriers in order to pursue higher degrees. Diversity scholarships have been donated to APIN and all nursing scholarships are compiled on our website,www.texasapin.org.