Fostering Smart Government by Eliminating "Red Tape"
 
On April 19th, the House of Representatives approved a measure offered by Representative Villarreal that could pave the way for a new nursing program in San Antonio to open its doors.  Villarreal worked to streamline state regulations that were preventing the establishment of much needed nursing programs.  The following is an excerpt from an article published by the San Antonio Express News.

Red tape keeping prospective RNs from Texas
January 15, 2007 David Hendricks

Texas' educational system has plenty of seats open to nearly all of the fastest-growing professions. An exception is nursing, where students are turned away by the thousands even though hospital vacancies are worsening.

The problem goes beyond the widely reported shortage of nursing school faculty and clinical sites. Red tape is involved, too.

Consider the case of one private nursing technical school in San Antonio. It is trying to expand its licensed vocational nursing program to add training for more advanced registered nurses. For almost two years, though, conflicting state agency rules have created a brick wall.

The school already runs registered nursing classes in two other states and is expanding into a third without the barriers Texas has erected.

Blocking the Galen College of Nursing, based in Louisville, Ky., has been the blurry dividing line of roles between two state agencies, the Board of Nurse Examiners and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The nurse board administers license examinations to students who finish nursing school. The coordinating board certifies nursing schools so students can take the exams, said state Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio. He is trying to help Galen expand its local nursing education program.

The problem comes from the nurse board's requirement that Galen acquire accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It's the same accreditation held by the hospitals, universities and community colleges that also educate nurses.

"That has always been our standard," said Katherine Thomas, the board's executive director.

Acquiring that accreditation, however, takes six years or longer.

"This creates a chicken-vs.-the-egg scenario," Villarreal said. "New programs cannot exist without students. Students won't register if they won't be allowed to sit for their licensing exam."

Villarreal has been trying to forge a compromise. Thanks to the nurse board's sunset bill that comes up during this spring's legislative session, lawmakers have leverage to smooth the way for technical schools to educate more nurses.

The Board of Nurse Examiners in Austin already has agreed to allow Galen students to take registered nursing exams. Galen must first receive a certificate of authority from the coordinating board and start the regional accreditation process, Thomas said.

"We are willing to work with them. We agree there should be an interim process," Thomas said. She added she also wants to see the accreditation application paperwork and Galen's registered nurse program proposal.

To read the full article visit http://www.mysa.com/