Across the country there's a need for more nurses.
About half of registered nurses in the U.S. are 50 years old or older, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and The Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers.
The nursing workforce is not expected to grow fast enough to meet demands.
East Tennessee high school students are trying to help that need by getting healthcare certifications before they even graduate.
Union County High School seniors will get their diplomas in May, but some students are already working as certified nursing assistants thanks to a class they took at school.
One of those seniors is Bethany Buller. This time last year she didn't like school.
"I had a really rough junior year," she said. "I struggled really hard with academic classes."
Then she took an anatomy class at Union County High School.
"I passed the class with an A," she said.
Buller's teachers encouraged her to take the next step by enrolling in the certified nursing assistant (CNA) program at school.
"I think it's good for them to learn early. That way they know what path they want to go into when they're picking a college and they're picking a career," said course instructor Debbie Sharp, RN.
Sharp started the CNA program at Union County High School six years ago.
She has a full class every semester.
"This year they did exceptionally well. All 12 passed their CNA test," said Sharp.
Twelve seniors are certified nursing assistants and they haven't even graduated high school.
"A lot of them already have job offers," said Sharp. "I have one student that's actually starting her job tomorrow as a CNA."
Students learned how to take vital signs, change bed pans, and generally care for patients of all ages.
They all have to complete 150 hours in the classroom and with patients at a local nursing home.
"The CNA class really showed me how physically demanding it is, mentally demanding it is," said Buller.
It's hard work that she and her classmates are finding a passion for."It's just the joy of making someone else happy," said Buller.
These CNAs are working to make nursing their career."It actually pushed me to go to college and to get my RN and to go further in helping people and being successful in life," said Buller.
Several schools offer the CNA program, including seven Knox County high schools: Halls, Gibbs, Powell, Karns, South Doyle, and others.
The newest is Austin-East High School. The CNA program just started there this year.
