Educational outreach in a rural underserved area

A school of nursing in a world-renowned urban medical center joined forces with a school of nursing in a rural, underserved, ethnic minority area 350 miles distant. By working together, the two schools of nursing re-energized professional nursing in a geographically remote area of Texas. This underserved region is the fastest growing area in the state; education and health care resources have not kept pace with demand. Consequently, nursing faculty recruitment lagged, two few nurses had advanced practice skills, and morale suffered because of nursing staff and faculty shortages. Leadership in the two schools forged an educational and political partnership to create a collaborative model to meet the higher education needs of this area of southwest Texas. By detailing the eight steps of a unique success story, the article offers a model for meeting the evolving health care and nursing education needs of the '90's.