A Florida nursing shortage is coming. Here's how Pensacola is staying ahead of the curve:

As Florida's nursing shortage crisis is projected to increase, hospitals and universities in Escambia County are working to stay ahead of the curve by bolstering the local pipeline for recruiting, training and employing nurses.

HCA Florida West Hospital is partnering with Pensacola State College to help increase the number of prospective nurses in local hospitals by investing $50,000 into a PSC outreach and training program.

"The Pensacola State College Nurse Explorer Boot Camp will help expand and accelerate the nursing pipeline by engaging students in underserved populations while they are in high school," Kendrick Doidge, West Florida Hospital director of communications and community engagement said in an emailed release about the initiative.

The boot camp is intended to bring 12 to 20 high school seniors together and teach them about the nursing profession.

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"Pensacola State College is honored to receive these scholarship funds from HCA Healthcare Foundation to offer students an opportunity to gain career in the healthcare industry after graduation," Ed Meadows, president of PSC, said during a check presentation ceremony at the college's Warrington campus Thursday. "This partnership provides a path toward college completion and meaningful employment for students."

A 2021 report from the Florida Hospital Association breaks down registered nurse and licensed practical nurse supply and demand numbers for various metropolitan areas in Florida. According to the report, Florida is projected to see a total shortfall of 59,100 nurses by 2035.

The report notes that concerns about a shortfall of nurses pre-dated the COVID-19 pandemic, but that the pandemic exacerbated the issue. Many healthcare workers, including nurses, retired early from their occupation due to health concerns for themselves or family members. Some healthcare workers died, and nurse burnout rates surged due to long hours and stressful work environments, the report said.

Still, the report indicates there is currently a surplus of local nurses.

In 2019, the Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent demanded 5,818 RNs and 1,128 LPNs, and supplied 6,616 RNs and 1,205 LPNs — a total nursing excess of 875 nurses.

Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent is expected to need 7,314 RNs and 1,506 LPNs in 2035. While the number of RNs is expected to reach 8,512, the number of LPNs is expected to stay stagnate at only 1,209.

How Pensacola's hospitals, universities and colleges are preparing for the future

Both hospitals and universities in the area are continuing to implement programs and investments to prevent the area from seeing projected shortages that the rest of Florida is anticipating.

HCA Florida West Hospital Chief Executive Officer Gabe Bullaro noted that a "robust" healthcare and nursing force is essential for the health and wellbeing in the community.

“This is the beginning of a lot more to come,” Bullaro said during Thursday’s check presentation. “This is an all-star setup. The sim lab is incredible. If I were looking to get into healthcare, I would be honored to be trained here.”

The University of West Florida is also working to help funnel prospective nurses into the healthcare field through a new Master of Science in nursing program for individuals with a four-year degree, according to Dr. Crystal Bennett, UWF’s director of clinical practice of the School of Nursing. This program would allow prospective nurses to move straight into the master's program rather than taking an additional Bachelor of Science in nursing.

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"We're working on a direct-entry MSN program," Bennett said. "This program is accelerated, so it would allow those who already have a baccalaureate degree in another discipline to come back to school ... and do five semesters and graduate with a Master of Science in nursing degree as well as be ready for initial RN licensure."

Bennett referenced the 2021 FHA study which projects Florida will continue to lose its supply of nurses as the need for them increases.

"They projected that the registered nursing shortage in the state of Florida is projected to increase to about 37,000 RNs in the next 15 years," Bennett told the News Journal. "That's where some of this emphasis came about, from that report, and the Florida Panhandle especially is going to be one of the hardest hit areas impacted by this shortage."

Joyce Nichols, vice president and chief nursing officer of Baptist Health Care, told the News Journal in an email that filling nursing vacancies is "a local, regional and national challenge," but that Baptist has managed to "ensure safe and appropriate staffing."

"We've been able to accomplish this because of our dedicated team of health care professionals who elect to work extra shifts," Nichols said. "Our team of nurses have a heart for their patients."

Nichols also said Baptist offers various training and internship opportunities for new and prospective nurses, and also provides a residency program that offers additional training for newly graduated nurses.

Bullaro emphasized Thursday that the ability to provide for our communities today and for the future fully depends on a robust healthcare workforce.

"We are proud to partner with Pensacola State College to ensure the future generation of healthcare workers have an opportunity to attain a high-quality degree or industry certification to help serve the future healthcare needs for Northwest Florida," he said.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: UWF, PSC working to enlist more nurses for Escambia County hospitals