Welcome to the USF Health College of Nursing, where we are committed to a culture of bold innovation and inclusive excellence. As dean, I am fortunate to lead a diverse community of scientists, teachers, practitioners, staff, and students. This is such a mixed time for the profession of nursing – while opportunities abound, we are also facing a tremendous nursing shortage across the country, exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic. In our college, we educate across the professional continuum from traditional undergraduate to advanced practice clinicians to nurse scientists. Our college community is committed to employing the core values of excellence, innovation, inclusion, and respect to educate future nurses, advance nursing science, and implement evidence-based clinical practice to improve health and wellness.

This past year our students, faculty and staff put in 40,000 volunteer hours in clinical and community settings to combat the pandemic. Driven by the spirit to enrich your life, we collaborate across the health sciences and beyond to transform health care delivery and lead with excellence. Our mission to employ the core values of excellence, innovation, inclusion, and respect to educate future nurses, advance nursing science, and implement evidence-based clinical practice to improve health and wellness is the cornerstone of all our activities. Our students are prepared to meet clinical challenges, care for diverse populations using evidence-based practice solutions and engage in robust interprofessional collaborations. As one of the largest state nursing schools in Florida, we average nearly 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students engaging in didactic and clinical education across our three campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee. Our global programs in Colombia, Scotland, and the U.S. Virgin Islands create opportunities for students to become world citizens and leaders.

Soon, we will be expanding our undergraduate program, increasing both are physical footprint and enrollment. We are proud to be a part of USF and USF Health, which enables us to engage in interprofessional conversations and leadership. Please take some time to explore our website and meet our amazing team, read about our programs and services, and discover all we have to offer our students, Floridians, and the world.

Sincerely,

Usha Menon, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean and Distinguished University Health Professor
Senior Associate Vice President, USF Health

Trailblazing Nursing is a podcast sponsored by the University of South Florida College of Nursing. Hosted by Usha Menon, Dean of the College of Nursing and Senior Associate Vice President at USF Health. Each month, we’ll bring you a 15-minute discussion on current topics in nursing, talking with your colleagues and experts from across the world!