TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – Florida’s nearly 500,000 nurses could soon fall short of demand as the state’s workforce ages and population grows.
The Florida Center for Nursing studied the state’s nursing workforce. Executive Director Rayna Letourneau said while there are more nurses today compared to five years ago, the workforce is getting older. Only 7.2% are under 30.
“Shortfalls that I’m concerned about is making sure that we have a healthy nursing workforce,” Letourneau said.
Letourneau said the state needs to focus on keeping experienced nurses in the profession.
“We have work to do to keep our experienced nurses in our workforce, really making sure that we focus on their well-being and other aspects that will keep them in our profession,” she said.
The 2024 Live Healthy Act created a pipeline to expand nursing education programs across the state. Tallahassee State College is part of the expansion with a new Licensed Practical Nurse program launching this fall.
“We know we need to continue to have a robust healthcare pipeline and there is a shortage in this area of qualified healthcare professionals,” said Shelly Bell, Tallahassee State College VP of Workforce Development.
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Bell said the one-year program offers a quick entry into healthcare.
“So students can come in and get out. Get straight to work and then if they want to continue their healthcare journey and stack on additional credentials or come back to school to become a registered nurse, they have that easy segway to do so,” Bell said.
Letourneau said growth needs to happen in the right places.
“Recognizing the need for nurses in community settings, in schools, in jails, in physicians’ offices or other providers’ offices, and not just that hospital setting,” she said.
The Florida Center for Nursing report said another way to help alleviate the strain is to encourage multistate licensure so people from other states could work in Florida.
Enrollment for TSC’s LPN program is open until May 22.
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