A community is only as strong as its most vulnerable members. USF Health College of Nursing has joined the Salvation Army to support the health and wellness needs of some of Hillsborough County’s most vulnerable and at-risk residents. A dedicated College of Nursing faculty member with public health expertise is overseeing undergraduate nursing students at the Salvation Army as they provide health education and wellness opportunities to residents living at the Red Shield Center. In addition, the College of Nursing is providing support for the recuperative care program, a respite care program for homeless individuals who have been discharged from the hospital. This initiative will help reduce readmission rates back to the hospital by providing onsite nursing care aimed at improving health outcomes and allowing clients to heal so they can focus on employment and permanent housing.

More than 37 million tons of cargo passes through Port Tampa Bay every year, and much of it ends up on store shelves and in homes across the country. For every cargo ship that makes its way to Tampa Bay, dozens of onboard workers, or seafarers, come with it. These individuals are crucial to the world’s economy, as more than 90% of global trade is carried at sea, but their health and well-being are often overlooked. Once docked, workers are often unable to go ashore due to strict security and immigration concerns. This factor, combined with hurdles like low wages and limited access to employer-provided health care, can make visiting with a healthcare professional impossible. This became even more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, as seafarers were unable to disembark at ports around the world due to not being vaccinated against COVID-19. Through this first-of-its-kind partnership with the Port of Tampa, USF Health College of Nursing faculty and students have provided more than 2,000 vaccines to seafarers arriving at the Port of Tampa and are in the process of building a nurse practitioner-run clinic that will provide healthcare services to seafarers and maritime workers at the port, improving access to care onsite and decreasing travel time to healthcare facilities in Hillsborough County.

When you're part of Moffitt, you're part of something greater. The USF Health College of Nursing’s robust academic-practice partnership with Moffitt Cancer Center includes:

The Undergraduate White Coat Ceremony Sponsorship generously provides undergraduate students with a brand-new white coat given during a distinguished ceremony made possible by a generous $50,000 contribution from Moffitt.

A scholarship program for accelerated students to include tuition and fees. The scholarship will be offered to students who commit to employment at Moffitt after graduating from USF’s accelerated program.

A $10,000 signing bonus for College of Nursing accelerated graduates who accept positions into Moffitt’s RN residency program.

The Trailblazer Externship Program for prelicensure nursing students. This program is being piloted with level 1 accelerated students in summer 2022 with a goal to bridge the academic-practice gap by blending on-the-job training for student nurses with a structured transition program to the role of the professional nurse. The program offers tailored resources and activities designed specifically for student nurses' engagement in the healthcare organization's nursing professional practice.

The Preceptorship-to-Hire (P2H) Program for prelicensure nursing students matches students interested in oncology nursing with a Moffitt RN in the clinical setting for their final semester of nursing school. The program is designed to recruit USF nursing students to work at Moffitt Cancer Center and facilitate students’ transition from academia to professional practice. Peter Hirsch is our first student accepted to the P2H program at Moffitt and is one of three students participating in the program in summer 2022.

The WIRES™ Prelicensure Mentorship Program, launched in summer 2022, offers three sessions each year for USF prelicensure nursing students. Moffitt was USF’s founding partner and sponsor of the first mentorship event. The mentoring program aligns with the goals of the Trailblazer Externship and P2H Programs and provides students with knowledge and support as they make career decisions regarding professional nursing practice opportunities.

The SHINE Program is offered to RNs and designed to provide participants with strategies for health impact and empowerment. The four-week long program is being piloted at Moffitt and Tampa General Hospital in summer 2022.

Innovation is in their DNA. The USF Health College of Nursing’s partnership with TGH includes their generous $10,000 sponsorship for the college’s Graduate White Coat Ceremony, Preceptorship-to-Hire, clinical placements, and other academic-practice partner programs, such as the SHINE Program, which is offered to RNs and designed to provide participants with strategies for health impact and empowerment.

The USF-SMH Excellence in Nursing Program addresses burnout and the nursing shortage through customized support and coaching to help participants shift to a positive mindset and healthy behaviors. The program is offered to USF Health student nurses and nurses employed at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and its new Venice campus.

The Preceptorship-to-Hire (P2H) Program for prelicensure nursing students was designed with the program’s founding partner Sarasota Memorial Hospital. P2H is aimed to facilitate USF Health College of Nursing students’ transition from college to professional practice. The participating students must be committed to working at the hospital or facility after graduation. After successful completion of the program, students may be offered an employment opportunity at one of their locations, either on the unit assigned during the program or elsewhere in the organization. Additionally, the hospital may offer employment to the student during the interim period between graduation and licensure so the student can continue to be mentored and learn the role of a professional nurse.

• Tampa Police Department
• Hillsborough County Public Schools
• Unisen Senior Living
• GracePoint
• Metropolitan Ministries
• Mort Elementary
• Sulphur Springs Neighborhood of Promise
• Ybor Youth Clinic
• St. Lawrence Catholic School
• Camelot Community Care
• Rivera Beach Integrated Care

Alicia Gill Rossiter, DNP, APRN, FNP, PPCNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN
Assistant Dean of Alumni & Community Relations (MSN '96 and DNP '15)
Chief Officer of Military and Veteran AffairsJonas Veteran Healthcare Scholar Alumnus
arossite@usf.edu
(813) 974-1938