Georgia nurse launches guide, mentorship to fill rural care shortage

QUITMAN, Ga. — New numbers from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration project show Georgia will be short more than 12,370 registered nurses in 2026, a 12% gap. Nationally, more than 263,870 RN positions are projected to go unfilled this year, with nearly 194,700 openings each year through 2035.Dr. Courtney Jackson, DNP, says the solution starts at home.A Brooks County native who started her nursing education at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, graduating in 2014, Jackson went on to earn her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Valdosta State University and become a psychiatric nurse practitioner, a path she says she never originally envisioned.“My nursing journey spanned a decade,” Jackson said. “Once I graduated from ABAC in 2014, I knew I wanted to teach nursing and still do patient care. That’s when my professor suggested I do nurse practitioner but psychiatric nurse practitioner, becoming a doctor was not in the plans. But it helps me reflect back on my plans ver