The statewide and national crisis of a shortage of nurses may get worse in the years ahead. The 2023 survey of registered nurses from staffing company AMN Healthcare found nearly a third of nurses say they will likely leave the profession, with many citing stress and staff shortages due to the pandemic.

SUNY Orange is opening educational doors at a time when nursing is in crisis.

In a traditionally female-dominated field, Jovensky Saint-Hilaire is an anomaly. The 26-year-old is a first-year nursing student at SUNY Orange, a field he said he was meant to pursue. He has family members in New York City who are nurses.

“I’m the oldest of three boys,” he said. “And I just felt like I just have a very nurturing personality and I just wanna bring that to different individuals or the patients that I take care of.”

Saint-Hilaire is aware of the racial disparities that exist within the U.S. health care system. He wants to use what he’s learning here to bridge the gap for Black patients and improve their health outcomes.

“I wish they can see themselves in me, and know that I’m here to advocate for them,” Saint-Hilaire said. “A lot of Black Americans might feel that they’re not listened to, but I would like to let them know that we are trying our best to help them be heard be seen.”

SUNY Orange recently announced it would expand its nursing program, adding 24 students. More people want to become nurses than the school can accommodate currently.

The goal is to chip away at the nursing shortage across the state and U.S.

“Most of our graduates do end up staying in the area and working locally,” said Nursing Department Chair Patricia Russell. “Every time I walk into a hospital, I’m bound to see at least a half a dozen of our former graduates that are working in the local area, and so, demand is very high.”

AMN Healthcare says the U.S. could be short a million nurses in a couple of years, as baby boomers age and workers leave the field.

Matthew McCormack is hoping to be a part of the solution. The 32-year-old McCormack’s mother is a nurse. He was a pharmacy technician before pursuing nursing. He says his favorite part of the program is clinical practice.

“It has taught me how I react in new and stressful situations,” McCormack said. “I’m very much diving in hands-on, instead of hanging back and not knowing what to do, I wanna be in there, and a part of the action.”

Saint-Hilaire and McCormack both say they want to work at hospitals in New York.