The consistency of change in the development of nursing faculty practice plans

Nursing faculty practice plans need to be inherently flexible to meet the changing needs of nursing schools and the external clients of the practice plans. The University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center (UT-Houston) School of Nursing has constructed two integrated models of faculty practice to meet the challenges of change. Our linkage model with outside agencies and our academic nursing center provided in excess of one million dollars of support to the School of Nursing in fiscal year 1992-1993. Flexibility in our linkage model is discussed in such areas as the negotiation process for contracts with outside agencies, methods of payment for services, calculations of cost recoveries, methods of setting consultant rate levels, revisions of fund-disbursement policies, and development of fund-tracking systems. UT-Houston School of Nursing's nursing center model is based on a business plan and was established without outside funding assistance. Over time, the areas of concentration have changed because of changing community needs and market conditions. Its revenues depend on marketing efforts by the clinic staff. Evaluation and outcome research, to be based on computerized financial and patient record information systems, are considered critical elements in maintaining the UT-Houston cutting-edge leadership as an academic nursing center.