This report of the Coordinating Board's Nursing Project Council is the culmination of three years' intensive effort to provide the State of Texas with a plan on which those responsible for helping meet the health care needs can rely in determining where nurses are needed, what their educational preparation should be, and how the nurses can be utilized for maximum efficiency. The study made inquiries of registered nurses, vocational nurses, physicians, nursing students, and others who could be expected to provide information on the subject. Discussed in this report is: a profile of nursing in Texas, utilization of nurses, nursing education (needs and curriculum analysis), regional perspective, cooperative approach to meeting nursing needs, difinition of terms, and a selected bibliography. The appendixes include statistical data on the status of nursing by region and selected copies of survey instruments used for the many surveys incorporated in this study. The intent of this report has been to provide reliable direction for agencies, institutions, and professional organizations interested in improving nursing education and delivery of health care. (Author/PG)