TAMPA, Fla. — According to the American Association of Colleges of Nurses, the U.S. is projected to experience a shortage of registered nurses that is expected to intensify as baby boomers age and the need for health care grows.

Hospitals like the Moffitt Cancer Center are getting ahead of those shortages with a brand new program to ensure their patients are able to get the care they need.

Students like Sosha James are hoping to impact those numbers. James said she’s always had a passion for helping people.

“In my family, I’m always the one that’s like taking care of everybody, even though I’m not a nurse,” she said.

She’s not a nurse yet, but she says helping family is what made her consider the profession.

“My grandmother actually has lupus so growing up she was always taking different medications,” said James. “Sometimes she will have flare-ups and go to the hospital and I always wanted to know ‘why are you taking this and what are you doing?’ I would see the nurse taking care of her and I was like, I want to help my grandmother and help other people.”

So, once she finished college with a four-year degree at another school, she decided to enroll in nursing school at USF. Luckily for her; she qualified for a new scholarship and program offered by Moffitt Cancer Center.

“Basically after I graduate, I have to work there for two years on a contract,” said James. “They have a program for me that’s like an eight-week program with a cohort and I get different resources and mentors and then I graduate and they teach me how to work as an oncology nurse.”

It’s a scholarship program Moffitt Cancer Center’s senior director of nursing practice Sheila Ferrall calls a game changer.

“The strongest program has been our scholarship program for accelerated second degree BSN students. So this is a program for students who already have a degree in another field. And they’re not really typically eligible for funding opportunities,” Ferrall said.

By offering that funding, Ferrall says that allows their hospital to bring in more nurses from a diverse pool of nursing students at USF and beyond.

“We do offer the scholarship with other schools. So we offer it with Nova South Eastern, University of Central Florida, University of Florida and USF,” she said.

The scholarship pays for tuition, testing fees along with additional funds.

It’s a small price to pay to make sure patients aren’t impacted by the nursing shortage. It also gives future nurses like James peace of mind to follow her dreams.

“I have an end goal and that’s to make my family proud, make my community proud,” James said.

It’s a pride that will be on full display once she graduates and starts her nursing job at Moffitt Cancer Center.