Florida Nursing and Healthcare Schools

Nursing and other health care related professions is rated Americas most trusted profession. The value of the profession is well respected and there has never been a better time to become involved in the health care industry. The state of Florida is facing their most challenging nursing shortage ever in history.

Florida is also home of one of the worlds most famous hospitals, the Mayo Clinic. There are only three of these hospitals in the world. The Mayo Clinic is known throughout the world as having the highest reputation in diagnosing and treating the most complicated illnesses as well as having the most up to date technologies and research programs. Health care professionals work closely together to treat and prevent every health care issue affecting the population. This also leads to great opportunities in career advancement as you get to work along side the best health care professionals in the business!

Florida has a tremendous need for qualified nurses. The HPSA Health Care Professional Shortage Areas reports that Florida has 61,000 job openings needing to be filled by Registered Nurses alone. This number is up form 36,000 openings in 2003. The need for these educated professionals keeps growing. This puts Florida as the 3rd highest vacancy rate for nursing positions in the country. Florida=s population of elderly persons is highest in the nation. Over the next 10 years the overall population in Florida is expected to grow 29 percent with those over 65 making up the mass majority.

Out of the Licenced Registered Nurses currently employed in Florida=s communities 45% have only an associates degree and average in age of middle 40's. 20 % of these RN=s only work part time and 21% are not employed. This has left Florida with a great need for Registered Nurses to utilize their skills and contribute to the overall health of our communities. There is a great lack of medical and nursing educators in Florida leaving our schools unable to add new programs for training qualified health care professionals.

Hospitals are having a difficult time in hiring and filling these much needed positions. Although urban areas have a higher job vacancy rate than our rural communities, 95% of all Florida hospitals report severe shortage issues in the following areas...

• Critical Care
• Medical / Surgical
• Emergency Room
• Operating Room
• Cardio Vascular
• Oncology
• Telemetry

Florida started The Promise of Nursing Campaign joining with Johnson and Johnson in 2002. This 30 million dollar campaigns purpose, is to encourage Nursing careers and other professional health care careers, to recruit new nurses, as well as to retain nurses already working in the field. They have joined with other Pro-Nursing organizations, schools, hospitals, and other health care groups and providers to increase the awareness of the importance of having Qualified Health Care Workers in our communities. Recruitment consists of commercial advertisements, job fairs, internet postings and adds in local papers. 70% of the money raised through this Campaign will go to faculty development and the other 30 % goes toward scholarship programs. The government has also issued 15 million dollars to Florida for the repayment program of educational costs, student loan forgiveness for nursing students and other scholarship programs.

Other benefits being offered are sign on bonuses, relocation startup bonuses and financial compensation programs. Although salaries vary depending on location, facility and experience, the average salaries for nurses in Florida are listed below.

• Operating Room - $94,028
• Critical Care - $93,309
• Intensive Care - $96,542
• Head RN - $90,571
• Staff RN - $61,719
• Nursing Home RN - $57,771
• LPN - $40,22

Florida is desperately seeking qualified professional health care workers and this allows for good paying health care jobs. The emphasis is on nursing, but there are plenty of other health care related opportunities in Florida. Take advantage of this ever growing field and put your talents to work where it can really make a difference!

Campus Based	High Tech Institute is located in Orlando, Florida and offers campus-based programs in the following areas of study: Dental Assistant Massage Therapy Medical Assistant Medical Billing and Insurance Coding Pharmacy Technician Surgery Technician X-ray Technician (ltd scope)
Online	Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences is designed for working nurses, and offers them flexible and convenient online scheduling. RN to BSN Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Sciences Bachelor of Science Degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Online	The College Network - Offers a wide variety of online nursing classes that are available to you from anywhere in the United States. LPN to A.S. in Nursing LPN to BS in Nursing RN to BS in Nursing Diploma/Foreign Trained RN to BSN RN to MS in Nursing MS in Nursing (MSN)
Online	Kaplan University is one of the United States leading universities for online healthcare degrees. Business, Nursing, and Allied Healthcare programs are all offered. RN to B.S. in Nursing MBA Health Care Management Life Care Planning Cert. Certificate in Forensic Nursing Certificate in Legal Nurse Consulting
Online	University of Phoenix - one of the leading universities in the US that offers a wide variety of online accredited degree programs. Associate of Arts in Health Administration B.S. in Health Administration RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing B.S. in Psychology MBA Health Care Management Master of Science in Nursing Doctor of Health Administration Nursing HealthCare Certificate
Campus Based	Argosy University - With 13 locations across the United States and Florida, Argosy University offers a wide selection of degree programs, such as: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Master of Arts in Industrial Psychology Master of Arts in Sports and Exercise Psychology
Campus Based	ATI College of Health is located in Miami, Florida and offers campus -based programs in the following areas of study Medical Assisting Technician Pharmacy Technician Respiratory Therapy Diagnostic Ultrasound Technician Dental Assisting Medical Office Administration
Campus Based	Career Institute of Florida has a main campus located in Largo with a satelite campus in Holiday, Florida. They offer campus-based programs in the following areas of study: Hospital Billing and Coding Medical Assistant Medical Billing and Coding Patient Care Technician
Online	Walden University - Students gain the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in their choice of professional study, while maintaining their current workload and family life.. RN to MSN BSN to MSN MS in Mental Health Counseling Master of Public Health Ph.D. in Health Services Ph.D. in Public Health M.S. in Psychology Ph.D. in Psychology

Top Online Nursing Programs

Below you will find the top rated online nursing schools along with the program the school offers. Request a free information packets from the nation's best online nursing programs using the More Info buttons below:

	The College Network - Associate's, Bachelor's & Master's Degrees. With healthcare degrees offered by 10 major universities, The College Network has become the premiere destination for students seeking a nursing degree online. They offer fully accredited degrees, including LPN to RN degrees, that will satisfy students' career goals and ambitions.
	Indiana State University - Bachelor's Degree. Offering a high-quality, accredited degree in nursing, Indiana State University gives students a chance to quickly accelerate into respected nursing positions in many healthcare institutions. Their popular L.P.N. to B.S.N. program is available entirely online, allowing students to continue working while pursing an advanced degree.
	Kaplan University - Certification, Associate's & Bachelor's Degrees. As one of the most respected online universities in the country, Kaplan University has helped thousands of students reach their dreams of becoming a nurse. With a number of healthcare degree programs available, students can graduate in as little as two years and be on their way to helping others.
	Herzing University - Associate's, Bachelor's & Master's Degrees. Herzing University offers three key nursing programs for students of all ages and education levels. Students will have the opportunity to receive hands-on training in order to better prepare them for a real position in the healthcare industry.
	Walden University - Master's Degree. For individuals seeking higher education in the field of nursing, Walden University has knowledgeable, respected industry leaders educating their students. Their quality education and in-depth training will help students get on the right track to leadership positions in several healthcare institutions and entities.
	Capella University - Master's & Doctoral Degrees. Capella University is an accredited university providing nursing students the skill set and education needed to make an impact in the healthcare industry. Their affordable programs allow those who enjoy helping others to gain additional knowledge to continue pursuing their passion.

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