As of March, there are 1,700 available job openings for registered nurses in Austin. The annual salary for a registered nurse typically pays $56,000. Statewide, there are 16,000 openings.

To provide Texans with access to good job opportunities available now, Senator Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) introduced SB 2118. The bill would authorize the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to allow community colleges to offer baccalaureate degree programs for registered nurses.

The Austin Chamber along with Austin Community College Task Force Chair and Capital One Bank Market President Mike Perrine testified in favor of the bill yesterday. The bill passed the Senate Higher Education Committee with a vote of 4-1 and will move to the full Senate.

According to a report by Teaching and Learning in Nursing, community colleges have offered a bachelor of science in nursing (RN-BSN) degree going back 45 years, but not yet in Texas. The Chamber Board of Directors encourages passage of SB 2118. To view the Austin Chamber’s Job Postings Report for the first quarter, click here.