American Career College Celebrates National Nurses Week, May 6-12

U.S. Nursing shortage could swell to 800,000 by 2020.

Costa Mesa, Calif. (PRWEB) May 5, 2006 -- American Career College (www.americancareer.com) and West Coast University, which have LVN and RN educational programs that combine academic and clinical training at several Southern California campuses, pays tribute to America’s 2.9 million registered nurses during National Nurses Week.

“Nurses: Strength, Commitment, Compassion” is the theme for 2006. Annually, National Nurses Week begins on May 6 (www.nursingworld.org), marked as RN Recognition Day, and ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, founder of nursing as a modern profession.

American Career College is well aware that the U.S. is facing a nursing shortage that could swell to 800,000 by 2020. California is ranked last out of the 50 states in the number of registered nurses per 100,000 people, according to the California Health Association. And, with a growing and aging population, the need for nurses is ever increasing.
The shortage of nurses is mainly due to a lack of space in nursing programs. Approximately 5,600 nurses graduate from California programs each year -- about half the number of nurses the state’s healthcare providers actually need.

“We are responding to Southern California hospital and health care center officials who are also telling us they are in the midst of a dramatic shortage of nurses. American Career College is intensifying its training opportunities for individuals interested in this rewarding profession,” said David Pyle, president and CEO of American Career College and West Coast University. “Our hope is that the more opportunities we create and provide today will help meet the growing health care needs of Southern Californians.”

Says American Career College graduate Jennifer Bitner, who now hires nurses for a surgical center in Costa Mesa, “Nursing is the only occupation I know of where there is permanent job security. People come looking for you. The career opportunities are endless.”

American Career College has been helping people succeed for over 25 years. Founded in 1978 as American College of Optics, the school became American Career College in 1993, to accommodate an expanding curriculum and growing student population. West Coast University is currently accepting applications for their LVN to RN bridge program. To find out more, call American Career College at 877-809-8686 or visit their web site at www.americancareer.com, and or contact West Coast University at 877-505-4928.

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