Nursing Expansion
The USF College of Nursing, with the support of the Florida State Legislature, is confronting the nursing shortage crisis head-on with an all-out effort to expand undergraduate nursing education.
What is expanding?
At the beginning of June, Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, approved $33 million in the FY 2022-23 budget for the USF Health College of Nursing to expand its infrastructure and current footprint on USF’s Tampa campus with enhanced simulation training space. In addition, Gov. DeSantis approved $6.9 million in recurring funding for the college to hire faculty and staff who will support the expansion and student success.
The Florida Center for Nursing (FCN) will now be housed at USF Health College of Nursing, under the direction of Executive Director Rayna Letourneau, PhD, RN and in partnership with the Florida Nurses Association. The FCN will allow Florida to monitor supply and demand in the nursing workforce, a critical element of understanding and dealing with the nursing shortage.
| Funding Approval | Allocation of Funding |
|---|---|
| $33,000,000 | The renovation of facilities for the USF Health North Tampa campus. More specifically, to create additional state-of-the-art simulation space to meet the needs of increased enrollment. This is a one-time-only funding source. |
| $6,900,000 | Recurring PIPELINE ((Based on performance, size of the undergraduate program and graduate programs) |
| $5,000,000 | To fund the Florida Center for Nursing (FCN) |
When will this happen?
By 2028, the USF Health College of Nursing will graduate over 750 undergraduate nurses each year, a roughly 200% increase over the five-year period. Through extensive partnerships with local and regional hospitals and health care systems, the college can provide practice-based training and confidently route new graduates to employment, fulfilling the critical need for nurses in Florida.
| Timeline (Tentative) | |
|---|---|
| June 2022 | Governor DeSantis signed the budget, approving $33 million for expansion, $6.9 million in recurring, and $5 million for FCN |
| July-August 2022 | USF Board of Trustees allocation of the budget Seat selection Committee |
| August-September 2022 | Announcement for design-build bids |
| August-December 2022 | Design-build bid approved by the Board of Trustees |
| 2023-2024 | Design and construction |
| January 2025 | Begin using new space |
How can organizations partner with the College throughout the expansion?
Partnerships are critical to the success of all that we do. Increased student support opportunities will be vital as we begin to enroll more students each year. If you are interested in partnering with us, please contact Dr. Alicia Rossiter to learn more.
Expansion User Groups
Staff User Group:
Pranam Parsanlal
Johairis Ayala Falcon
Ghada Konsowa
Ashley Ros
Michele Burns
Jean Vaccaro
Shanna Hunt
Emily Boyko
Faculty User Group:
Catherine Belden
Karen Aul
Cheryl Zambroski
Herica Torres
Deleise Wilson
Catherine Nadeau
Karla Maldonado
Donna McDermott
Kristin Cashman
Whitney Pollio