C.J. Gish
The UF College of Nursing will receive a $3.6 million state grant to educate the next generation of front-line providers following the COVID-19 pandemics’ impact on health care.
Florida lawmakers made an effort to combat the nursing shortage and the funds will help the state’s top-ranked nursing program to develop what is referred to as a “pipeline” — Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education — for fiscal year 2023. The program is designed to help the state meet the demand for baccalaureate-prepared nurses, nurse practitioners and nurse scientists, according to the UF press release.
“As the preeminent nursing institution in the state, we are proud to champion the advancement of nursing education,” said Dr. Anna McDaniel, UF College of Nursing dean and the Linda Harman Aiken Chair, in the press release. “With the PIPELINE funding, we will not only increase the supply of front-line BSN-prepared nurses but also grow our graduate student body, which will contribute to the nursing faculty pipeline and further address the current nursing shortage.”
The pandemic showed how the nursing profession was impacted by an acute shortage of care in hospitals, nursing homes and schools, that required new clinicians to address the gaps in the nation’s health care infrastructure.
UF plans to increase the number of students admitted to its top-ranked Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.N.) in Nursing programs, by expanding its faculty resources.
UF will use the PIPELINE funding to recruit nearly 20 new faculty at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Enrollment in the B.S.N. program at the UF Health Jacksonville campus is expected to increase by 50% in 2023, eventually doubling by 2025. Enrollment at the home campus in Gainesville will also increase by over 15%.