Mexican university launches nursing pipeline to help ease Texas’ healthcare worker shortage

REYNOSA, Mexico — One of northeastern Mexico’s largest nursing programs is creating a pathway for its graduates to work in Texas hospitals as the state faces a growing shortage of registered nurses.

The Autonomous University of Tamaulipas, known as UAT, has partnered with international healthcare recruitment firm MHHR Corp. to prepare and place nursing graduates in Texas through the TN professional visa program, establishing a direct recruitment pipeline between the university and Texas healthcare employers.

The partnership comes as Texas hospitals continue to struggle with staffing shortages. According to projections from the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, cited by the Texas Hospital Association, demand for registered nurses is expected to exceed supply by more than 57,000 full-time nurses by 2032, leaving the state nearly 16% short of the workforce it will need.

The shortage is already affecting hospital operations. The statewide vacancy rate for registered nurses increased from 5.95% in 2019 to 17.6% in 2022, according to the Texas Hospital Association. Hospitals now take an average of more than 61 days to fill an RN position, and more than 60% reported reducing available beds or limiting services because of staffing shortages.

One of Mexico’s largest nursing programs

The new partnership draws from one of the country’s largest nursing programs.

According to Data México, the Mexican Ministry of Economy’s official economic and labor market data platform, UAT enrolls more than 38,000 students, including 5,522 undergraduate nursing students, making nursing the university’s largest academic program. The university graduates about 716 nurses each year.

UAT offers nursing programs in Tampico, Ciudad Victoria, Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros and recently expanded to Reynosa.

The initiative, launched under Rector Dámaso Anaya Alvarado, is coordinated through UAT’s Office of Outreach and Partnerships. University officials have begun informational sessions across Tamaulipas as the first group of candidates enters the evaluation process.

The program is open to graduates as well as students in their ninth and 10th semesters, allowing participants to begin preparing for U.S. licensing requirements before completing their degrees.

Preparing nurses for Texas

Participants receive career guidance, housing assistance, job placement support and financial assistance for required professional certifications.

To qualify for nursing positions in Texas, candidates must demonstrate advanced English proficiency and pass the NCLEX-RN, the national licensing examination required for registered nurses in the United States.

Employment is offered through the TN visa under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which allows qualified Mexican professionals in designated occupations, including registered nursing, to work legally in the United States after meeting immigration and licensing requirements.

By introducing students to U.S. licensing requirements before graduation, the program allows participants to begin completing those requirements while still in school.

University officials said UAT’s nursing curriculum combines clinical training with a patient-centered approach.