As with many of the states in the USA, Florida is also experiencing a nursing shortage and therefore there are a lot of opportunities to find employment here and there are even some hospitals offering signing bonuses and incentives to work here.
Florida is one of the more densely populated states and facing some interesting challenges when it comes to serving their unique population with a high percentage of immigrants. So trained nurses who are also bilingual will be in even more demand. . Some experts are projecting the state’s population will grow to 20 million by 2015, and a large number of those newcomers will be retirees. This rapidly growing and aging population’s increasing demand for health care is causing a serious shortage of nurses.
As far as nursing schools in Florida, there are over 120 schools offering nursing course including several major universities, colleges, and two-year schools that offer a variety of nursing degrees and certification upgrades. In Florida, as a health care practitioner you can expect to earn an average of approximately $30 per hour.
Florida has one of the larger collections of nursing schools which is great if you are looking to study in this state. And as a result of a current nursing shortage, there are a lot more opportunities to take the courses that you need in order to be successful in this type of career.
Some of the degree programs that are offering in nursing schools in Florida include:
- CCU,
- Coordinator,
- Hepatology,
- Holistic,
- Home Health, Hospice,
- ICU,
- Infectious Diseases,
- Informatics,
- IV Therapy,
- Joint Degree MSN/MBA,
- Nurse Anesthesia,
- Nurse Educator,
- Nurse Practitioner (NP),
- Nursery, among others.
So whether you are just starting out about thinking of a career from graduating from high school or if you are already a professional who wishes to advance your career, then looking at becoming a registered nurse is a very viable and exciting option.
And as you try to determine which nursing school in Florida is right for you and where and how you want to work once you have graduated here are a few things that you should consider.
- What kind of salary are you looking for? In this equation you need to take into consideration which kind of health facility you want to work in as the salary will range quite a bit depending on where you find employment, such as a hospital, a private clinic or a doctor’s office.
- Are you able to consider taking a traveling assignment, or working extra shifts or working as a part time casual employee to get your foot in the door once you have graduated?
- Are you looking to take some assignments as online courses so that you can have some flexibility with your own schedule? Maybe you need to keep working to help pay for your schooling – then online courses might be a good option for you.
There are many nursing schools in Florida so finding one that works specifically for your unique situation should not be too difficult. Ensure that wherever you go to school that they are properly accredited to teach the courses that you want to take so you are fully prepared when it comes to writing the required national licensing exam.