ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - Carilion Clinic has about 100 openings for nurses right now. The hospital system has a lot of competition among other hospitals looking for nurses too.
Lauren Alban wants to pursue nursing and went to a recruiting fair.
"It's literally a profession that you care for other people and you make a difference in people's lives," says Alban.
She wants to work for a hospital that will pay for her continuing education. It's something Carilion offers but it's not enough.
"What happens in the valley is that we're known for quality nurses so what that's doing is bringing in more competition from mid-western health care systems, down in Florida and those folks they want to come here and attract our nurses away," said Debra Lovelace, senior director human resources.
Because of competition, Carilion is ramping up its recruiting efforts. It's increasing pay, focusing on getting nurses from nearby states, and social media.
"It came back to what we can offer the nurses so it's the wide variety of careers we have here," says Lovelace. "It's interdisciplinary care and it's that strong nursing voice."