When Kerisha David emigrated from Jamaica five years ago, her cousin suggested she enroll in nursing school so she could get a good job that would pay the bills and make a difference.

But David wasn’t interested.“I didn’t think I’d be cut out to do it,” said David, 30, who lives in Stamford.

But she ended up enrolling in a certified nursing assistant program at Stamford’s J.M. Wright Technical High School and landed a job as a patient care tech at Norwalk Hospital.

Her interaction with patients there changed her mind about the field and, a year ago, she enrolled in Wright Tech’s licensed practical nursing program.Thanks to a recent agreement with state community colleges, students in the Class of 2010 will earn college credit and be able to complete a registered nursing program within one year. The school is accepting applications for August enrollment.

Students applying to registered nursing programs at universities and colleges face waiting lists and high tuition. The demand for nurses has prompted a flurry of applications to programs nationwide, but there’s not enough classroom space or teachers to keep up. Read more