Texas Woman's University's College of Nursing has been awarded a $749,977 state grant to modify how undergraduate nursing students prepare for clinical practice. The funding comes from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's Nursing Innovation Grant Program, an initiative announced by Gov. Greg Abbott in August 2026.
The award supports a project named INSPIRE-CBE, which is designed to benefit students at the university's Denton, Dallas, and Houston locations.
The program shifts the educational focus from completing a fixed number of clinical hours to demonstrating specific competencies. Under this model, students will practice skills in simulation labs with faculty and teaching assistants before taking one-on-one simulated clinical exams.
Niki Fogg, PhD, RN, assistant dean and project director, stated that the grant allows the university to provide more time for practice in open labs with necessary equipment and support staff. She noted that the goal is to ensure students are prepared before entering the workforce.
Students who do not demonstrate competency on their first attempt will receive individualized coaching and additional practice opportunities before being reassessed. Fogg explained that before graduation, students will interact with standardized patients to show they can perform required job duties. If a student is not yet ready, the university will continue working with them until competency is achieved.
The grant funds simulation equipment, faculty leads, lab technicians, and a standardized patient program across all three campuses. Approximately 900 students are expected to participate during the grant period. The first student-facing simulated clinical exams are scheduled to begin with the Junior 1 cohort in spring 2027, with the program expanding to additional cohorts each semester.
The award runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2028. It is part of a total of more than $5.6 million distributed to eight Texas institutions through the Nursing Innovation Grant Program. The Coordinating Board administers the program to support new approaches to nursing education aimed at increasing the state's healthcare workforce capacity.
