MIDLAND, Texas — The COVID-19 pandemic has made all of us realize the importance of nurses. We are now calling them heroes. Another thing that we are realizing is a shortage in that field.
According to data released by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, there will be significant shortages in most nursing fields by 2032.
NewsWest 9 talked to one local college to see if that is being reflected in enrollment numbers.
Jana Villarreal, Department Chair for the Patient Tech Program at Midland College, said that enrollment in the nursing programs has remained steady throughout past years.
"We meet that need, our numbers are steady, in regard to the associate degree program here at Midland College, it is highly competitive," Villarreal said. "Every spring there is a new course and a new class is admitted. There are always enough applications."
Villarreal says statistics are a good guide to see where there are needs in the health system.
"I think there will always be a need of healthcare individuals to be able to work and provide services for our community members, but in regard to the shortage that was recently released in 2032, what we see is a generation of individuals that will be retiring," Villarreal said.
Villarreal has noticed that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people in the community and she has seen people getting involved in the medical field.