State College of Florida nursing program works to reverse shortage with extra funding

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. - The State College of Florida (SCF) is working hard to reverse the shortage of nurses in Florida. They're growing their nursing program with the help from local hospitals and organizations. 

Within the classrooms at the local college, future nurses get a real life, hands-on experience.

"Today’s hospital are seeing sicker and sicker patients, and the acuity of the patients are such that you have to have a number of nurses to care for those patients," said Debbie Allish, a registered nurse and the director of simulation at SCF. 

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Allish knows finding nurses can be difficult with hospitals facing shortages – even before the COVID-19 pandemic. The shortage got worse with one out of four registered nurses leaving their positions last year. 

The Florida Hospital Association projects a shortage of 59,100 nurses by 2035. 

"In today’s world, I think it’s huge that we have community partners that are interested in giving us a hand in helping us create these new nurses," said Allish. 

SCF is hoping to fill the void. 

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After going to the state legislature, lawmakers passed the Linking Industry to Nursing Education Line Fund. They match donated funds, dollar to dollar. 

SCF received $545,000 from local hospitals and other foundations. Matched by the state that totaled to $1.1 million. 

With the additional funding, the nursing program will now be able to enroll 350 nursing students every semester, that’s up for 220 last fall.

"It’s still critical. It’s been critical for a long time. We could probably do twice that maybe 700 nurses a year, and they could still use them," said SCF President Dr. Carol F. Probstfeld. 

Every student who applies to SCF’s nursing program and qualifies will be admitted as funding will be used to hire additional staff and expand class options. 

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"We proudly are one of the least expensive and most successful. So attracting students to come to the State College of Florida was only a matter of saying we can take everybody who applies, and they will apply," said Dr. Probstfeld. 

Those additional students will be entered into the two-year nursing program next Fall. 

For more information on the program, click here.