The health care industry makes up a big part of Tallahassee's economy. But the city is still facing the same nursing shortage plaguing much of the state.
The latest U.S. Census data reports health care is the third largest industry in Tallahassee, behind only educational services and public administration. As of 2023, the latest year for which numbers were available, just under 14 percent of the city's workforce - more than 14,000 people - were in medical and related fields.
That's a lot of people. But Stephanie Solomon, director of nursing at Tallahassee State College's Ghazvini Center, says there just aren't enough nurses.
"The need is, of course, really great, Solomon said. "Being able to meet the need, we are doing our best here at Tallahassee State College to meet the community need for health care workers."
Tallahassee isn't alone. The National Institutes of Health projects more than 275,000 nurses will be needed in the U.S. by 2030. Florida's shortage will be around 60,000.
The report also says job opportunities for nurses will grow by a faster rate than all other occupations at least through 2026.
But Solomon says there are obstacles. One of them, she says, is that many students simply aren't ready to take on the educational demands.
"They are not mentally prepared for the rigor of the program," Solomon said. "Not knowing how to balance between their studies and their personal life, they are lacking time-management skills. They are lacking effective coping mechanisms and aren't able to handle the stress and anxiety of being in a professional program."
Solomon says there are efforts in place to help students prepare. She applauds both of Tallahassee's hospitals for providing scholarships and tuition reimbursements for employees - including nurses - who desire career advancement. And, she says, the launching pad for those jobs extends into the area's public schools.
"I do know that Leon County schools offer what I think they call 'career academies' in some of their schools," Solomon said. "So there are those opportunities for those students. They have a CNA [certified nursing assistant] program. We are partnering with Godby High School where we go in and offer our EMT program to some of their high school students."
All of this helps, although Solomon said there is another obstacle providing a major choke point in the nursing pipeline.
"We are at a deficit for nursing educators," she said. "I can't educate future nurses if I don't have instructors."
The National League of Nursing agrees. Its latest Nursing Education Research report pegs the shortage directly to the shortage of educators.
Another concern is retention. That's something Dale Neely, CEO of HCA Florida Capital Hospital, knows something about.
"You know, we're no different than any other hospital in the state or the country for that matter; nurses are hard to find," Neely said. "So you want to make sure when you bring the nurses in that you keep them here, so you've got to support them. You make sure they have the resources they need to do the job and that they're supported."
Data from a Florida Hospital Association 2024 report shows retention rates have improved since the COVID-19 pandemic, which greatly exacerbated nursing shortage issues, but officials say there are improvements left to make.
