Keiser University notes renewed interest in healthcare jobs due to pandemic

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A renewed interest in health sciences is being reported by colleges and universities nationwide.

In fact, the number of students applying to medical school increased by 18 percent this year, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

It's not just an interest in medical school, but also an interest in nursing school.

In 2020, Google searches for "how to become a nurse" went up nearly 1,000 percent.

With campuses around the state, Keiser University is the biggest feeder of nurses in Florida.

According to Nurse.org, by 2021, more than 50,000 RN vacancies will need to be filled statewide.

"The demand just keeps rising," said Belinda Keiser, Vice Chancellor of Community Relations and Student Advancement.

The Florida Nurses Association, or FNA, is attributing the growing demand to a long list of reasons, including the some of the workforce retiring over the next couple of years, a shortage of qualified faculty to teach the profession and competition for sites to train nurses.

While the FNA hasn't noted a spike in applications for nursing school, Keiser University has seen a spike in interest.

"Would you say that just from the start of the pandemic to now, you have seen a rise in the interest in those healthcare professions?" CBS12 News reporter Stefany Valderrama asked.

"I've definitely seen a rise in healthcare professions," Keiser said.

It's arguably one of the positive things to come out of the pandemic and could help meet the demand, especially as the pandemic rages on.

"With a pandemic, there are challenges with healthcare fatigue," Keiser said. "There is the challenges of making the vaccine widely available. There are people that are concerned they have COVID-19 so they go in for testing."

In addition to the hands-on experience students in the program are getting now, the Vice Chancellor tells CBS12 News healthcare jobs are stable, which she believes is part of the appeal.