Jobs that require only a two-year degree are the fastest growing in the healthcare sector. That’s especially true in the Baton Rouge area, according to the Brookings Institute. Roughly half of healthcare workers here have less than a bachelor’s degree, ranking Baton Rouge 17th among the top U.S. metros.
In Baton Rouge, about 17,000 people work in healthcare with only a two-year associate degree. They are nurses, technicians, and aides in clinics, home health, and hospitals.
Kayla Sanchez received her associate degree in nursing about seven years ago. She was hired right away to work in the ER at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. The job paid about $20 an hour.
"I didn’t truly enjoy nursing until I got to the emergency room. In a day I can see between 12 and 20 different patients, so it kind of keeps the job interesting," Sanchez said.
Baton Rouge has over 2,000 registered nurses, a number that has grown over 50 percent in the past decade.
"Everybody may not necessarily pursue the bachelor’s and that’s fine," said Toni Manogin, Dean of the Nursing and Allied Health program at Baton Rouge Community College. "Traditionally our students are people who need to get to work. They have families. And they want to pursue nursing because they pretty much understand they will find a job."
BRCCgraduates 30 to 40 Associate degree nurses each year.
Still, this may not be enough to fill a nursing shortage left by retiring baby boomers. Their mass retirement from healthcare will mean shortages in nurses and nurse educators.
Manoginsays it’s difficult to entice younger nurses to teach.
"Education does not pay the way clinical practice pays."
SoBRCChas about 500 applicants for just 60 Associate degree spots each year. But until there are more experienced nurses to teach them, they can’t take on more students.
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