Ryan Evans didn’t waste any time joining one of the fastest-growing fields in America.

At 16, the Hall County native was working as certified nursing assistant at Lanier Park Hospital. By the time he graduated from Chestatee High School at 18, he was hired on full-time at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, where he works a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. shift at the hospital’s emergency department.

Now 20, Evans is looking to start his studies at Athens Technical College next spring in what he hopes will eventually lead to a two-year degree and a new title: registered nurse.

In the fast-paced environment of the ER, Evans sees something different every day, splinting broken limbs, taking vital signs, handling specimens and helping tend to all manner of medical crises, big and small.

“I couldn’t see myself working in any other department,” Evans said.

Part of the job’s appeal, he said, is “all the interesting stuff you get to see. You never know what’s going to come in. And I love the feeling of taking care of people, knowing you made a difference in some way.”

If Evans earns his RN degree, he should have plenty of job security in a shaky national employment picture.

Nurses — male nurses in particular — are among the most in-demand positions in the country. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics says there are 2.4 million nurses working in the U.S., constituting the country’s largest health care occupation. But in years to come that won’t be nearly enough.

With a rapidly aging baby boom generation, the need for health services will continue to grow. Demand for registered nurses is expected to outpace supply through 2020, according to the Bureau of Health Professions. Georgia is projected to have a nursing shortage of 32 percent by 2015 and 40 percent by 2020.

Evans knew he wanted to be a nurse since his freshman year in high school, when he took an introductory course in health care.

He said he wants to stay in the emergency department and work his way up to a job as a charge nurse.

Evans recommends the job to anyone looking for steady, stable and interesting employment. More men are needed in the field, he adds.

“You can’t go wrong with nursing,” he said. “Every day of the week, somebody’s going to be sick ... you’ll be there to take care of them.”