Gov. DeSantis visits Seminole State to announce nursing education funding

Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Seminole State's Sanford/Lake Mary Campus on Monday, May 16, to announce $125 million in funding for nursing education in Florida.  

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Several reports, including ones by the Florida Hospital Association, the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, and the Florida Healthcare Association, show that the Sunshine State is projected to be short 59,100 nurses by 2035. 

“In this funding initiative, we have included $100 million for higher education and workforce education programs composing the pipeline program,” said DeSantis. “This pipeline program will financially reward colleges and universities for excellence in nursing education programs based on their student performance. Institutions will use these earned dollars to invest in their programs, and we’re also doing another $25 million to establish the LINE fund, which is linking industry to nursing education, which will directly go toward combatting the shortage of nursing instructors.”

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo and Senior Chancellor Henry Mack both joined the governor on stage thanking him for the funding.

“I have always appreciated nurses and their partnership, especially as a medical student who didn’t know what they were doing. Nurses are super people who create positive outcomes for their patients.,” said Ladapo. “This additional funding will yield nothing but good things for our invaluable nurse.”

“Governor DeSantis has made an unparalleled commitment to elevating and training our workforce,” said Mack. “The $5 billion he has dedicated to career and technical education since 2019 is paying huge dividends for our state, especially in fields like nursing. At the Department of Education, we look forward to continuing to ensure the mobility of our residents while meeting industry needs.”

Shawn Molsberger, president of Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital, also spoke. “We are happy to work with Seminole State College to provide the flexibility for this personal development” said Molsberger. “Seminole State College is a preferred education provider, and this is one way that Orlando Health invests in our own workforce and ensures that we have a community of healthcare workers trained to handle the complex medical needs of a rapidly growing region.”

Through the partnership, each semester, eight students will be assigned to work alongside experienced nursing preceptors, or mentors, at Orlando Health South Seminole’s Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) in key areas of the hospital where the need for skilled nursing is greatest.  The nursing students begin working in the progressive care unit, a step below the intensive care unit, and have opportunities to shadow in other departments of the hospital to diversify their experience. In turn, the partnership creates opportunities for preceptors to bring their experience and knowledge into the classroom by becoming adjunct nursing professors at Seminole State.

Recent Seminole State nursing graduate Raeanne Champion joined Gov. DeSantis on stage and spoke about the need to fund nursing education. “With the shortage we have now, it is a perfect time to invest in our state’s nursing program. That is why this $125 million in nursing force funding that the governor has just announced is a pivotal step in highlighting the importance of our nurses,” said Champion.   “It signifies a relentless dedication to attract and retain the skillful and authentic individuals we need to keep pushing the nursing profession forward.”

Two programs will lead the funding Gov. DeSantis is committing to nurses and nursing student this year, these include: 

• $100 million to establish the Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE) program to financially reward colleges and universities for their nursing education programs, based on student success. 
• $25 million to establish the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) fund for schools to recruit faculty and clinical preceptors for their nursing programs, to work toward combating the shortage of nursing instructors, with funds matched dollar-to-dollar by health care partners in their community.  

Seminole State offers both an Associate in Science (A.S.), Nursing (RN) degree and an RN-to-BSN Online program (Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing) which answers the health care industry’s call for nurses with advanced training and provides graduates with high-growth, high-paying jobs.