Demand For Nurses Grows

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- They're some of the happiest faces you'll see at Memorial Hospital, and new registered nurses like Amanda Driver have reason to smile.

"I'll never grow out of a nursing career. I can always excel and change which area I want to be in," Driver said of her career.

The 22-year-old graduated in April from Florida Community College at Jacksonville, with her associate's degree.

WorkSource Florida funded her education, and does the same for roughly 200 nurses in Northeast Florida schools on an annual basis.

Four weeks ago, Driver began her career as an RN at Memorial Hospital on University Boulevard.

Driver entered the field of nursing because she wanted to make a difference in patients' lives, as well as the fact that it's considered a stable career.

FCCJ's program, which is the fourth largest nursing program in the nation, is so popular the school turns away more than 600 qualified applicants every year, taking only 432 per class.

"Employment is not an issue for these graduates. They're in high demand, and can really find the place they want to be," said Dr. Barbara Darby, President of the FCCJ North Campus.

Darby knows this first hand: she, too, is a nurse.

She says as the aging population grows, more young people are needed in the health care field.

In the last year, FCCJ created space for 100 more students to join the two-year program.

With more state funding, Darby says they could grow further.

"Hospitals will typically make an offer to a student for employment once they complete licensure successfully," Dr. Darby said.

"There's always a demand for health care. I think that even in a period of economic uncertainty, we know that careers in health care are something that are here to stay," said Laura Demotte, Vice President for Human Relations at Memorial Hospital.

As in many other industries, Memorial does see its share of turnover, which makes recruiting more nurses an ongoing need.

Memorial employs 719 Registered Nurses in the surgery centers, hospital and family practices.

Those nurses care for an average of 170,000 people who come through Memorial's doors annually.

As she begins her professional career, Driver is confident in her choice to become a nurse.

"It's good to know I'll always have a career, no matter what happens," Driver said.

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