A friendly greeting, a check of the pulse—just a snapshot of what nurses do everyday.

They go to school around the area to learn a profession in high demand.

But with so many area schools that offer registered nursing programs, it's actually not potential nurses that are in need-it's the faculty to teach them.

"One of the things that works against us, quite frankly is salaries. The salary of a nursing professor is much lower than a salary of a nurse in a hospital,” said Mary Jo Regan-Kubinski, who is dean of nursing and health professions at Indiana University South Bend.

Also, instructors need a master’s degree in order to teach. Indiana University South Bend started a program this fall to address the issue.

Still, demand for nurses and those who teach them will continue to rise.

“As the baby boomers age and your life expectancy has increased, there is this continual need for more services within a hospital organization,” said Marsha King, chief nursing officer at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.