TAMPA, Fla. — Florida is not immune to the nursing shortage.
According to Nurses.org, Florida is in the top five states projected to have the largest shortage of nurses.
The Florida Hospital Association released a study that reported that by 2035, Florida is projected to face a shortage of more than 59,000 nurses.
Currently, 70% of hospitals in the state are already experiencing critical staffing shortages and the problem isn't just with hiring. Hospitals are having trouble keeping nurses and retaining teachers.
The study shows one in four nurses and one in three critical-care nurses are resigning.
Stephanie Loscalzo has seen what has been referred to as nursing 'burnout' firsthand.
During the pandemic, she began her second career as a registered nurse with the medical surgery oncology unit at Advent Health Wesley Chapel.
"When the pandemic started, I just went, okay, let's navigate through this," Loscalzo said.
The unknown may have helped her navigate a pandemic, but the burnout set in for her veteran colleagues.
"The nurses, we just couldn't keep them. They couldn't push the hours. The patient load, it was just too much. Mentally, physically, emotionally, they were watching people die constantly," Loscalzo said.
Florida's not alone. According to an analysis from HealthAffairs, the total amount of registered nurses has dropped by more than 100,000 from 2020 to 2021. That's the largest drop in four decades and most of the nurses are under the age of 35.
Dr. Cynthia Rowell, the assistant vice president of nursing at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, said the nursing demand is real.
According to Rowell, the Wesley Chapel location isn't feeling the nursing crunch, but other campuses can't say the same.
The goal for AdventHealth is to hire 8,200 nurses by the end of the year for various locations across the state.
Cam Felismino is helping prepare those potential nurses. She serves as the Dean of Nursing at Arizona State College of Nursing - Tampa.
"We anticipate by 2030, we will really hit that nursing shortage," Felismino said.
Felismino said another contributor to the decline of staffing is baby boomers.
"By 2030, these baby boomers will soon retire and then they become our patients too and that increased patient equity and load," Felismino said.
She hopes a synergy between clinical partners and schools will help relieve the shortage of students and professors.
