At a time when the nation's unemployment rate is at a 26-year high, and employers seem to be doing more firing than hiring, there's one field that's constantly looking for a few good men and women.

There is no shortage when it comes to jobs in the medical field, just a shortage of medical professionals. They're there when we're often feeling our worst, but could growing patient needs soon outweigh those who can fix the problem?

"Specifically in the rural areas, the shortage really has to do with the types of issues that go in rural areas with recruiting," Al Hurley with the St. Joseph Health System said.

As the medical field grows, so does the need for more doctors and nurses.

"When physicians come out of medical practice, they're looking for a particular life style which some communities may or may not offer depending on size," Hurley said.

In some cases, positions in the Brazos Valley have gone unclaimed for years. One clinic in Leon County has been looking for a physician for more than two years.

But it's that availability of jobs and job security that has many students confident about finding work.

"My hometown is in Katy, west of Houston, and right now there are three hospitals going up just in that area that will be finished by the time I graduate," nursing student Alycia May said.

"There's always going to be sick people, so that's always going to be a need for nurses and doctors and stuff no matter what the economy does," student Larry Calzoncit said.

After delivering medical equipment, Larry Calzoncit realized he wanted more. Now, he's at Blinn College working toward a nursing degree. It took him a couple tries just to get into the program.

"It's always been maxed out. There's always somebody trying to get in. There's always a waiting list," Calzoncit said.

"We have far more applicants than we have slots," Thena Parrott with Blinn's Nursing program said.

Despite the interest in school programs, Parrot predicts the demand for medical professionals will only increase in the future.

"All us baby boomers, as we age and have more health problems, the more the need is going to be," Parrott said.

The question now: Will there be enough doctors and nurses to support it?

Officials with the Texas A&M Health Science Center's College of Medicine say they're trying to address shortages in the medical field by increasing their class sizes. Back in 2006, officials say they only took 80 students per class. This year, they plan to take on 150 students, with a goal of accepting 200 students into a class by 2011.

Local health care providers, patients, and community leaders will address the shortage Tuesday morning at the Brazos Valley Community Action Agency.

On their agenda: getting lawmakers to pass legislation that would pay off student loans for those health care providers who commit to practice in rural areas of the Brazos Valley for four years.