WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – It is projected that Kansas will need more than 3,000 RNs by 2030, according to the Kansas Hospital Association's 2024 report. An anticipated surge in retirements and a drop in enrollment threaten to worsen a tough situation. The number of nursing students enrolling in Kansas programs is down 39% over the last decade. Now, hospitals across the state face thousands of vacancies, and a young nursing student hopes to be a part of the solution to fill that need. Infections of bacteria causing violent coughing fits is rising in Kansas Nineteen-year-old Kylie LeValley says her passion has always been health care, which is personal for her. "My great-grandmother. That's who I give the credit to, for like, letting me see health care a little bit because I remember going to the hospital with her and just like seeing how they cared about her," said LeValley, a nursing student at WSU and a nursing intern at Via Christi. LeValley has been in this field since she was 16 years old. "I love this so much. I love the people. I love the nurses," she said. LeValley says she sees shortages every day in the nursing field. "But at the same time, like our house supervisor and our managers have been working on like hiring people," she said. Hospitals are turning to the next generation to alleviate this stress while many look at retirement. The Kansas Hospital Association says nearly 29% of nurses in Kansas plan to retire in the next five years. "And that's why we're trying to get upstream and fill the pipeline with, you know, youth and really offer health care as a pathway, as a career and to grow within that pathway," said Claudio Ferraro, Via Christi St. Joseph president. "The way we can collaborate, there's quite a few number of students in those programs. But how do we provide teaching environments? So, how do we collaborate and utilize our team, our environments to train? And that way, we get that personal relationship again with those students who are already committed to health care because if they train here, they stay here." Bird flu virus likely mutated within a Louisiana patient, CDC says And for LeValley, she wants to inspire other students. "I just feel like I have so much empathy, like, I care so much for those people who, like, need help that I just want to make a difference," she said. Via Christi believes that motivating high school students to pursue health care is a path to addressing the shortage. The hospital is taking a proactive approach by sending associates to high schools and giving tours to middle and elementary school students. If you are interested in pursuing nursing, connect with Via Christi here.