The Sunshine State is seeking nurses

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There is a shortage of nurses in the Sunshine State according to the Florida Center for Nursing (FCN).

A new study shows more than 12,000 registered nurse positions are open and new growth is expected this year adding more jobs to the industry.

"It's never going away, we're always going to need nurses but in different capacities," said Dr. Therese Ditto, Dean of Nursing at Florida State College at Jacksonville.

Everyone gets sick at some point. Most people have probably made a trip to the hospital in their lifetime and nurses are becoming a high commodity.

Of the more than 12,000 open nursing positions in Florida right now, 75 percent of the vacancies are in hospitals.

FCN estimates nearly 10,000 additional registered nurse job will be created this year.

The study went on to say there is a high turnover rate for RNs in hospitals. There is also difficulty filling positions that require more experience and advanced education.

"Not only is it a good-paying career choice, but there's other opportunities that if you don't want to be a bedside nurse, you can actually teach nursing once you get your master's degree," Ditto said.

Ditto said many hospitals and other health care companies don't offer many incentives like tuition reimbursement, daycare, better benefits and perks that attract students to the healthcare industry.

"Not everybody can do what a nurse can do, not everyone can handle the kind of pressure or emotional effects of other people being hurt," said Cabrina Andree, a student in the nursing program at FSCJ.

Some students are training in the nursing program because it is their passion and it can provide a stable job.

Jonathan West, another student in the nursing program said, "To be in school and not being able to find a job is what I hear in a lot of different professions. So being able to graduate and secure a job makes me feel pretty good."

"I want to be able to help people that really need it, that really need free healthcare," Andree said.

Both students also said FSCJ has a reasonably priced program compared to universities and private institutions.

“Even if they have to get financial aid and grants and loans can still see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to paying those loans back," Ditto said.

Students at FSCJ can become a registered nurse in about 15 months. Ditto said a lot of their students end up training for the medical field in residency programs at local hospitals while they're going to school, which helps them secure a job.