If you've ever thought of becoming a nurse, now is a great time to pursue it.

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, a nursing shortage has affected Florida's hospitals and medical care industry. The shortage is estimated to go on for many years, with 59,000 less nurses predicted to be working in the state by 2035. Many are aging out of the profession, leaving overflowing hospitals with fewer staff to support them.

Florida, however, has the fourth-highest employment rate in the country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nurses are needed at hospitals, ambulatory healthcare services, nursing and residential care facilities and government and educational services on a state, local and private level. Additionally, nurses make decent salaries in this state: the average is $67,510 per year, with a range of $50,000 to $90,000.

If you want to get your degree, you can stay right in town. Arizona College of Nursing is opening its third Florida location in Sarasota on Cooper Creek Boulevard in University Park. The fully accredited college offers general education night classes and an accelerated nursing program that will help students receive their BSN in three years. Enrollment is now open and first day of the fall semester is Monday, Aug. 29.

The professional program, which offers a mixture of classroom teaching and hands-on training, aims to address the growing demand for registered nurses in town. Students will undergo simulations and clinical rotations as well as receive access to tutoring, open lab time, counseling and career services and opportunities to join student nursing associations.

For more information or to enroll for fall semester, click here or call (855) 706-8382. Arizona College of Nursing Sarasota Campus is located at 8043 Cooper Creek Blvd., Suite 107, University Park.