Another healthcare staffing firm made news this week, after it won the American Academy of Nursing’s 2006 Media Award.

Access Nurses, a national travel nurse company, picked up the honor for its Web-based docudrama, 13 Weeks, which features six nurses from all over the country working in an intense hospital environment in Southern California.

“The review committee thought that the show was a highly creative and effective way to recruit traveling nurses into hospitals,” said Gail Powell-Cope of the American Academy of Nursing, in a news release.

“The committee liked the portrayal of nurses on the show as skilled and caring professionals in a variety of clinical settings, as well as real people who enjoy the company of each other during rest, relaxation and recreation.”

The objective in creating the show is to highlight nursing as a rewarding career choice and encourage more people to enter the profession, according to Access Nurses, which services over 1,500 healthcare facilities in the United States. The company recruits domestic and international nurses and allied health professionals and places them on contract, temporary, and permanent positions throughout the United States.

According to the Department of Health & Human Services, there will be over 800,000 unfilled nursing positions by the year 2020.