NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - Second-Career Nurses Help Shortage

Second-Career Nurses Help Shortage

The trend of professionals changing their careers and becoming nurses is one that has a big impact on the healthcare industry.

The trend is expected to cut the nursing shortage in half over the next several years. Medical experts hope it's a trend that continues.

A study shows large numbers of people in their late 20s and early 30s are going back to school to become nurses. Nancy Lancaster, 28, worked as a consultant for five years.

"It does seem like there are quite a few people younger than me, but there are also quite a few people who this is their second, third or even fourth career," Lancaster said. "For the duration of my career in business I knew it was not the best fit for me. I knew I wanted to work with people."

Tory Woodard, 34, currently works as a mental health counselor.

"The job I have now, I work with inner-city children and I see the problems their families have with understanding medication," Woodard said.

Both students are studying to be nurse practitioners.

Researchers predict this trend of older students getting into the field will have a big impact on the medical profession.

Medical experts originally projected a nursing shortage of 760,000 registered nurses by 2020, but because more people are changing careers, that shortfall is expected to be closer to 340,000.

Dr. Peter Buerhaus conducted this study, and said that's still a serious shortage.  But, the study shows a positive trend that he hopes will continue.

"It shows the results that if we get focused and go after this issue, we could see some significant change," Bearhaus said.

The study shows that enrollment at nursing schools would still need to increase by 50 percent to eliminate the nursing shortage by the year 2020. 

Bearhaus said medical experts are continuing to look at ways to recruit more people to enter the nursing profession.