Nursing students will have the opportunity to receive hands-on training with access to simulation equipment due to partnerships with Johns Hopkins All Children’s Foundation and Moffitt Cancer Center.
Courtesy of USF Health
By Brianna Bush
Earlier this fall, USF Health announced that for the first time, the College of Nursing will provide students on the St. Petersburg campus access to advanced patient simulation training.
With this improvement, nursing students can practice professional skills by using computerized mannequins to simulate real-life scenarios.
The initiative was made possible due to the College of Nursing’s partnership with the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Foundation. The partnership was one of two Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) fund proposals approved by the Florida Board of Governors.
According to the Florida Government website, the LINE Fund provides $25 million for schools to help address the current nursing shortage, with funds matched dollar-to-dollar by health care partners in their community.
The second proposal, the partnership with the Moffitt Cancer Center, will bring modern advanced stimulation equipment to all three USF campuses.
The College of Nursing will receive $390,000 from the LINE fund partnership and $82,000 from the Moffitt Cancer Center partnership, which will be funded by the dollar-to-dollar match from the state.
During a Board of Trustees committee meeting on Oct. 21, Dr. Usha Menon, dean of USF College of Nursing, discussed how this initiative will impact the three campuses, including the opportunity for students to enhance their knowledge of patient diversity.
Courtesy of Brianna Bush
“It allows us to bring in diverse simulation equipment that allows students to learn how to take care of patients with darker skin, starting IVs [administration] –– it’s really fascinating stuff,” Menon said. “And then for our St. Petersburg and Sarasota students, that allows them to have contemporary equipment access without needing to bring them to the mothership and Tampa.”
In June, USF Health also announced that in addition to LINE funding, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis approved $33 million for the USF College of Nursing to expand infrastructure on the Tampa campus, as well as $6.8 million in recurring funding to hire faculty and staff.
“This year’s historic investment in nursing education from Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature will allow the USF College of Nursing to graduate 750 undergraduate nurses by 2029, a 200% increase over our current graduation rate,” USF Health said in a news release.
The nursing expansion on the USF St. Petersburg campus has previously been in the conversation. In 2020, USF administrators devised a five-year plan to boost enrollment and campus vitality to strengthen the campus under consolidation.
Health Sciences was one of the five initiatives included in the plan. The proposal included advanced and accelerated nursing programs and partnerships with local health care organizations like John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
Former state Senator Jeff Brandes, R-Pinellas County, who was a key player in the consolidation of USF’s three campuses, repeatedly pushed to expand the nursing program on the campus. This came amid nursing shortages and the desire to establish a top-notch program in downtown St. Petersburg.
In previous interviews, Brandes often emphasized to The Crow’s Nest that nursing programs on the St. Petersburg campus would be good for the community.
Therefore, the new equipment and partnership are a huge step for the campus.
