Anyone interested in a career in nursing should head to City Tech as soon as possible.

The New York City College of Technology in Downtown Brooklyn was recently tapped by the federal government to help stem a nursing shortage that could cripple the city- and state's- health care system in years to come.

Experts predict the demand for nurses across the state will rise drastically over the next decade. In New York City alone, some 59,694 nurses will be needed over the next ten years, according to a report by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office.

In Brooklyn, the nursing shortage is especially acute. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the borough has more medically undeserved areas than all but three counties nationwide.

Earlier this month HSRA awarded City Tech's School of Professional Studies- which runs the college's bachelor of science program for registered nurses (RN-BS)- a grant of $514,000 to increase nursing opportunities in the borough.

The funding, doled out over a three-year period that started last fall, will more than double the number of City Tech's RN-BS students from 143 to 350, according to Barbara R Grumet, a dean at the college.

“This grant is phenomenal,” Grumet said in a February 19 statement announcing the award.

The grant will bolster a program geared towards working nurses enrolled in school to receive degrees in their field, and should attract more interest in the profession.

Dr. Candy Dato, the coordinator of City Tech's nursing program, said the program is specifically designed to train nurses to work in diverse populations with a wide variety of health care needs.

“There is not only a need for more nurses,” said Dr. Dato, “but also a need for more nurses who are culturally responsive to the needs of the patients and communities they serve.”