KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Knox County Schools is stepping up to help as a nursing shortage continues to impact the U.S., including here in Tennessee.
The school district offers a nursing program for students to try in high school. One of those students is Kayla Sosebee, a senior.
“I’m super excited. I feel so prepared,” Sosebee said. “This program has helped me so much in really figuring out what I want to do.”
Students who are part of the Health Science and Nurse program at Hardin Valley Academy are able to work in their classrooms, gaining real-world experience.
“My position is a patient care support assistant. I am on a cardiothoracic surgery unit where I am stepped down from CCU,” Sosebee said. “We help patients really get back to where they were before surgery and open-heart surgery. Whether that’s therapies, getting used to walking again, feeding themselves, whatever it might be, just getting back to where they used to be.”
Sosebee will graduate this Spring and head to college to work in nursing.
- Austin-East Magnet High School
- Central High School
- Farragut High School
- Fulton High School
- Gibbs High School
- Hardin Valley Academy
- Karns High School
- Powell High School
- South-Doyle High School
- West High School
Compared to other similar populated states, Tennessee has a low nurse to patient ratio.
In Knoxville, Covenant Health is also working to help the shortage. They said they have hired more people now than ever before and is hopeful for the future of nursing.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing states the following reasons are what led up to the shortage:
- Lack of enrollment for student nurses
- High turnover
- Nurses retiring
- Aging population needing more care
For more information on courses available for nursing click here.
