Memorial Hermann participates in graduate nursing education project

A new initiative at Memorial Hermann Hospital is looking to increase the number of advanced practice registered nurses in the Texas Gulf Coast Region.

Memorial Hermann was selected as one of five hospitals in the country, and the only one in Texas, to participate in a $200 million Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services project called the Graduate Nursing Education Demonstration.

The goal of the new programs is to increase the number of APRNs in the region by 400 during a four-year period, a 64 percent increase over the current level. The $200 million from CMS will reimburse Memorial Hermann and selected hospitals for expenses associated with training additional APRNs.  

"This is great news for our system and the Texas Gulf Coast Region," said Dan Wolterman, president and CEO of Memorial Hermann, in a press release. "Memorial Hermann is committed to excellence in education. I am confident that this program will be successful and that the APRNs will be well-trained and prepared to offer quality health care services to the growing number of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in the region. APRNs are desperately needed as Texas and the region face a severe shortage of nurses and primary care physicians. APRNs will help to shoulder some of the load with primary care."

To train the nurses, Memorial Hermann will partner with the schools of nursing at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas Women's University and Prairie View A&M University. Partnerships will also be made with 50 surrounding community-based care centers to implement the program.

"Memorial Hermann has a long history of successful collaboration with area schools of nursing in the placement of students at all levels for clinical practice experiences," Wolterman said in the release. "When we considered this opportunity from CMS, all four of the schools of nursing stepped up and provided leadership during the planning stage for the demonstration project. They will be instrumental in recruiting students as well as developing the curriculum."

To learn more, visit memorialhermann.org.