Nursing school rejects, take heart: It’s not you
The shortage of faculty is one of the main reasons there is a shortage of nurses in the health-care industry. About two-thirds of all qualified applicants to nursing programs in North Florida are turned away.
Schools would love to accept more, but they are bound by student-faculty ratio requirements.
Mostly, it’s about pay. Starting faculty with master’s degrees can make $45,000 to $65,000, but out in the field the same graduates can get up to $90,000.
Still in demand
Nursing is one of the few job fields today that is still open for hiring. Some areas of nursing are seeing 10 to 20 percent of their needed positions vacant, according to a report by the Florida Center for Nursing.
There is a need for nurses locally, but Debra Hernke, chief nursing officer at Mayo Clinic, believes the need is even greater in other parts of Florida.
As baby boomers retire from the workforce in the next 10 years, a greater number of nurses will be required for the influx of patients. At the same time, baby boomers working as nurses will also be retiring.
The nursing shortage could have a huge impact on patients’ health now, too. As JU Dean of Nursing Judith Forker said, nurses aren’t just glorified assistants.
“Nurses are the ones doing tests and checking a patient’s status,” she said. “They are the ones who know when something is wrong and how to act quickly to solve problems.”
With jobs available, students are flocking to nursing programs at FCCJ, University of North Florida, St. Johns River Community College and Jacksonville University. And they have plenty of competition.
In 2006-07, 42 percent of the 25,357 qualified students applying to nursing programs statewide were turned away, according to the Florida Center for Nursing. In North Florida, 65 percent of the 4,610 qualified applicants didn’t get in.
news source:http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2008-12-16/nursing_school_rejects_take_heart_its_not_you
