TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The World Health Organization says by 2030, the world will have a shortage of healthcare workers, specifically nurses.
It's a problem not lost on those already in the profession.
“There’s the aging population of people and there’s a huge need for nurses," said Dr. Doris Lovata, a career nurse who now teaches hopeful nurses at Pima Community College. "Also, my generation of nurses will be retiring, so we need to fill those gaps in.”
She says many nurses are also leaving the profession due to burnout.
“To prepare them for the type of work that they’ll be doing is crucial," she said. "So the basic foundation needs to be really, really set.”
At PCC, students begin training using virtual reality and simulations as early as their first semester.
"I got to use the defibrillator in real life on this gentlemen," said Drew Cooper, gesturing to one of the mannequins used for simulations. "I guess this is real life… in simulation life. And then, I actually recently used it in the lab on a patient that wasn’t doing too good, and it was just like that.”
Cooper is one of the 1,800 healthcare students enrolled at PCC for the 2024 winter semester. He says the first few weeks can feel overwhelming due to the amount of new information.
Lovata says this helps prepare students for the real world job of nursing.
“Just being real with the demands of nursing and letting them know that it is a high-paced job they can do," she said.
Cooper graduated from PCC in December and will be heading to Tucson Medical Center for his first job as a nurse. He said he plans to continue school as a lifelong learner as well.
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Alex Dowd is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9, where her work combines her two favorite hobbies: talking to new people and learning about the community around her. Her goal is to eventually meet every single person in Tucson. Share your story ideas with Alex via email, alex.dowd@kgun9.com, or connecting on Instagram or X.
