Registered nurses are among the top jobs in demand in Pueblo. Last year, hundreds of jobs for registered nurses were posted in Pueblo, according to the Pikes Peak Workforce Center. One program is working to fill that need.Pueblo Community College (PCC) offers multiple certificate programs and career paths in nursing. PCC students can graduate with an associate degree as a registered nurse.Definitely a nurse, said Deidra Young.Young said when she was just eight years old, she knew she wanted to help take care of people.Growing up, helping my grandma take care of my grandpa. It was just a part of our family, like something that we did, said Young.She first became a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), but she wanted to do more. So, she decided to take the next step and sign up for school to become a registered nurse.I needed to be able to do a little bit more as far as making change and being a part of actual patient care, said Young. When I came to PCC they were like, 'oh this is what you want to do,' (and they) threw me right into the core classes."Last year, Young was enrolled into PCCs nursing program.The program holds you accountable. It takes you to a different level of realizing who you are and challenges you to things you really didn't know you were capable of, said Young. PCC's nursing program is run out of St. Mary-Corwin Hospital in Pueblo. Nursing students get hands-on experience working with simulated mannequins.Then, if the patient needs... blood pressure, the students will take that. Here there is a lot of doing. We dont simulate in terms of 'hey Im going to do this,' no, youre actually going to do that. So, if you have an IV medication order, you actually give it. Our goal is to have it as close to real as possible, said Shanna Ricker PCC's Director of Nursing. So, our students are coming to classes in a hospital setting, and they're conducting simulation in rooms that were actually hospital rooms. Everything in our simulated hospital room, it works. So we have oxygen, we have suction,... we want you to practice how you're actually going to work in a real patient environment. She mentioned how there's a shortage of nurses in Pueblo County.We want to work with our community partners and help those students get a job that's going to help support them. You know, paying a great living wage. That's our ultimate goal, said Ricker.She said every semester, the nursing program maxes out their enrollment of nearly 150 students in Pueblo.So, that's a blessing for our community to help, you know, decrease that nursing shortage, said Ricker.She said PCC has three campuses across southern Colorado offering classes. Ricker said for the nursing program, there are a couple of different options students can take.They could come in as just a traditional student who has no... medical experience or a CNA and work their way through the program, said Ricker.She said there's also ways to get ahead.So, they start as their RN, do their first year's RN, become an LPN, now become employable and finish that last year as an RN to get that extra bump up and pay. So, it's kind of a unique thing for us, said Ricker.She said there is also an option for people who have medical experience.So, we take both LPNs and paramedics and transition them into becoming RNs... S,o it takes just shy of a year to get through that program, said Ricker. And then we offer one more option for our students, that they could walk out with a bachelor's degree. They can be dual enrolled, so, they're enrolled in the community college program getting their associate's degree in nursing to become an RN while they can also be dual enrolled, working towards their bachelor's degree."Young graduated from the PCC nursing program in December and just recently passed her nursing boards. She said there are a lot of job openings. ...everywhere you look, there's a job. Literally, that's just the answer. And it's kind of scary, because it's like, 'are we needing that many nurses?' said Young.Ricker said PCC works with local hospitals and healthcare facilities to help graduates find a job. They hold a job fair every year.A lot of our students do stay local and work in the local hospital systems. We see some in long term care, said Ricker.Young said there are several jobs out there for her. She hopes to find one working in the emergency department.To learn more information or get connected to the PCC nursing program, visit their website._______Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.