The number of students enrolling in nursing programs in Florida is increasing. But colleges and universities are reporting a drop in qualified applicants.
That’s one of the findings in a new report from the Florida Center for Nursing. It surveyed more than 500 programs over the past year – most of them in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
Rayna Letourneau, the center’s executive director, says Florida needs to start recruiting while students are young.
"Getting access to the students in that elementary-age and middle school-age and introducing them to what nurses are and the value that nurses bring to their communities and to the health care industry is very important,” says Letourneau, an assistant professor with the University of South Florida College of Nursing.
The report also finds a decrease in nursing faculty. Letourneau says that's because qualified nurses earn more in clinical settings than academic ones.
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