We're continuing our reporting on the urgent need for skilled nurses in New Jersey.

According to federal data, we're expected to have the fourth largest shortage of nurses in the country over the next decade.

In Ocean County, high schoolers are getting a chance to experience the profession firsthand through a pre nursing program at Ocean County Vo Tech.

It gives juniors and seniors early practical training toward a career in an industry that could really use their help.

Ted Goldberg visited the school to see whether it's picking students interest.

The next generation of nurses loves to learn about the human body.

I could talk about it for hours Anatomy, physiology is probably the coolest thing ever.

Earning a member of the human body is a normal hazing.

What happens when we eat?

What happens when we breathe?

How does that work?

How do we get oxygen in our blood?

Simple stuff like that.

These students, mostly seniors from Ocean County, Vo Tech, have an instructor who's just as enthusiastic.

My father actually was a EMT, so I started on the ambulance at 14 years old.

And I just.

I love everything about medicine.

What teenager doesn't want to run out of the house with, like, a blue light on their dashboard?

Tony in Reveille is also a nurse at Harrogate Retirement Community in Lakewood, where some of her students do clinical rotations.

She's teaching a two year course that can be demanding for an in-demand career.

The workload is a little bit a lot.

You know, it's it's a lot of information at once.

Absolutely.

But if you are interested in the subject, it's not even it's not.

It's like second.

Nature.

Ocean County College has invested in this program moving into a bigger building to accommodate more students and providing state of the art equipment this past summer.

Like these eerily realistic mannequins.

Much bigger lab for sure.

We got brand new mannequins.

We have a lot more mannequins.

Probably half the size of this was our lab, if that.

We never had all of the equipment on the walls.

After the program, students can earn college credit towards becoming a nurse.

Or they can work as a nursing assistant to careers that are facing shortages statewide.

When my students graduate at the end of two years, they are already certified nursing assistants.

Many of them have job offers lined up before they graduate high school.

They will also be CPR.

Certified nursing assistants are a vital part of the health care team.

No one does it alone.

And when you're in a hospital setting and in a health care setting, it takes all parties working together to make sure the patients have the best care possible.

So our nursing assistants are a critical part of the team.

Laurie Mannion runs Human Resources at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital in Toms River.

They come and do clinical rotations with us and the students enjoy that thoroughly.

Our staff enjoy having them there.

They love to teach and show them what rehab is all about.

Her hospital hired one of the students as a nursing assistant this past summer.

We would love to build more partnerships like we have and continue to develop a pipeline of students to be able to fill those positions going forward.

Rivoli says her students can make upwards of $24 an hour as a nursing assistant without a single dollar of college debt or they can get a head start on becoming a licensed practical nurse or a registered nurse.

I have facilities knocking down my door to come talk to my kids like it is their super, super high demand.

So some of my kids will go work right after high school or even before they graduate, and some of them will take their knowledge, take their certification and go right off to college, LPN school or for their friends.

There was a waitlist for the program this year, so if nursing sounds like something you want to try, it wouldn't hurt to apply for it soon.

In Toms River, I'm Ted Goldberg.

NJ Spotlight News.