In hospitals across the United States, nurses are in high demand. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing projects the U.S. will need close to a million additional nurses by 2030.
For students at the University of Arizona that are studying to become nurses, they are hoping to fill the workforce gaps. For University of Arizona sophomore Amazigh Fajardo, he started college as a business major.
"Everyone was so surprised when I switched majors because it was a big shift," he said. "But I did it because deep inside I knew that it was the only job that I had ever heard of that I had that fire for."
He said he is looking forward to being a nurse despite the challenges in the field.
"It's a stressful job," he said. "Just hearing some the things my friends who work in hospitals deal with and I know some of them quit because of how stressful it is."
He said there's now more gaps in the workforce, especially after the pandemic. The AACN reportsover 30,000 additional advance practice registered nurses are needed each year through 2031 to meet the demands in healthcare.
"I realized just how big the shortage is," Fajardo said. "Sometimes it's hard to see when you're in the hospital but nurses literally do everything."
But there's something that keeps him moving forward — the passion for the job and support from his classmates. He said creating community in healthcare is key to bolstering the workforce.
"Once I'm a nurse, I really want to build that community in the hospital," he said. "Just to show the other nurses that they aren't alone."
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