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The UCF College of Nursing in Research Park was聽bustling on a recent Monday morning in January. It聽was the start of the new semester, with nearly 3,000聽students enrolled, including a record number of聽traditional bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 degree students. More than a hundred聽undergraduates filled each classroom, laboratory and study聽space. Some even took to the kitchen with manikins in tow to聽practice how to insert an intravenous therapy needle.

Bursting at the seams is typical now for the College聽of Nursing, which this spring semester admitted an聽additional 75-student cohort to the Orlando campus for its聽undergraduate nursing program to help keep pace with the demand for new nurses. For years, UCF has had to turn away students聽because of capacity limitations, but now Mary Lou Sole, dean聽of the College of Nursing, says she 麻豆精品 S檚 excited for what 麻豆精品 S檚 in store聽 麻豆精品 S� a brand-new, larger building slated to open in Lake Nona聽Medical City in the 2025-26 academic year. Not only will it聽give the College of Nursing some much-needed breathing room with additional classrooms, laboratories, study spaces聽and more 麻豆精品 S� it also will give the college a boost in achieving its聽bigger mission: to help alleviate the dire shortage of nurses聽in Central Florida, the state and the country; and to build up聽a pipeline of much-needed faculty and researchers who will聽push the profession forward to educate future generations聽and innovate patient care.

A Vision From the Past With Big Implications for the Future

Visions for the College of Nursing in聽Lake Nona started years ago with聽intentions to complement UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College聽of Medicine, established in Lake Nona in聽2006 on a 50-acre plot of land. Now with聽the UCF Lake Nona Hospital and UCF聽Lake Nona Cancer Center, the College聽of Nursing will join the cluster that is聽collectively known as UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Academic聽Health Sciences Center, a 21st-century聽model for medical education that brings聽together various disciplines where faculty聽and students can learn, research and聽practice.

Across the nation, from 2020 to 2021 麻豆精品 S� the peak of COVID-19 麻豆精品 S� about 100,000 registered nurses left the workforce.

Although years in the making,聽the timing is no coincidence and is a聽reflection of the current needs in the聽profession and the community. Across聽the nation, from 2020 to 2021 麻豆精品 S� the peak聽of COVID-19 麻豆精品 S� about 100,000 registered聽nurses left the workforce, according to聽the American Association of Colleges of聽Nursing. The significant loss is the highest聽observed in the past 40 years and added聽insult to injury as nurses 麻豆精品 S� especially聽those near retirement age 麻豆精品 S� have been聽exiting the workforce in droves since even聽before the pandemic. With a population聽that grows daily in size and age, the shortage is especially felt in Florida, where demand for healthcare is high.

麻豆精品 S淔lorida legislators heard from their constituents that one of their primary concerns is the nursing shortage, 麻豆精品 S� Sole says, 麻豆精品 S渨hich provided us this opportunity. We 麻豆精品 S檙e very grateful to have the state 麻豆精品 S檚 support. 麻豆精品 S�

In the 2022 state legislative session, UCF was allocated $29 million toward the new state-of-the-art nursing education building, which is expected to cost about $60 million total. The goal is to make up the difference with private funding, with a $10 million gift from Dr. Phillips Charities already secured, as well as $500,000 from the Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation. When complete, the 90,000-square-foot building will be large enough for the College of Nursing to increase the number of students it admits by at least 50% to help steer the size of the healthcare workforce in the right direction.

According to a study published in 2021 by the Florida Hospital Association and the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, the state needs about 4,000 new nurses added to the workforce each year to avoid a shortage of nearly 60,000 nurses by 2035.

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Frank Guido-Sanz, a UCF assistant professor of nursing and advanced practice registered nurse, sees the impact of the shortage firsthand every weekend. He commutes from Orlando to Miami to work in the intensive care unit of Jackson Memorial Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in the country. Part of the shortage, he says, is in the quality, not just quantity, of nurses and the ripple effects that has on patient care.

麻豆精品 S淚 feel the shortage every day I work in the hospital, 麻豆精品 S� Guido-Sanz says. 麻豆精品 S淲e lost our most senior nurses during the pandemic who were close to retirement age and decided it wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 worth it for them to risk being exposed. Now, we no longer have the more experienced nurses who can mentor the new ones, and that puts a burden on the rest of us who are there to fill that gap and provide education to them. The training and experience we lost in the more experienced nurses who left 麻豆精品 S� that 麻豆精品 S檚 irreplaceable. 麻豆精品 S�

UCF is graduating quality nurses who will help fill the gap. In fact, the university already provides the most newly licensed, bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 degree-level (BSN) nurses out of the institutions in the State University System, and has been doing so for as long as Sole can remember. UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 nursing graduates exceed state and national averages on the first-time pass rate of the nursing licensure exam, and the college 麻豆精品 S檚 programs are nationally accredited and nationally ranked.

麻豆精品 S淩esearch has shown that patient outcomes are better when you have a higher percentage of BSN nurses in the workforce, 麻豆精品 S� Sole says. 麻豆精品 S淭hey become strong critical thinkers, and they have a broader-based curriculum and understanding of issues across the lifespan of nursing. We 麻豆精品 S檙e strong advocates of the BSN nurse. 麻豆精品 S�

The state needs about 4,000 new nurses added to the workforce each year to avoid a shortage of nearly 60,000 nurses by 2035.

While waiting for the green light on the new Lake Nona building, the College of Nursing found other ways to expand its capacity. Thanks to $6.9 million in PIPELINE funding from the state, the college was able to increase enrollment by 10 seats at the UCF Cocoa and Orlando campuses, and by five seats at the UCF Daytona Beach campus in the Fall 2022 semester, in addition to the 75 seats added in Orlando this semester.

Beyond enrollment, the college has looked to cutting-edge technology and methodologies to prepare students for the front line.

Tech Elevates Education and Experience

After a bingo game night, a recently retired woman checks in to the emergency room because she 麻豆精品 S檚 suddenly dizzy, and having trouble walking and maintaining her balance. Within minutes, nurses ask her a series of questions such as her age and what month it is, and to complete a series of tasks 麻豆精品 S� including raising her eyebrows, following a nurse 麻豆精品 S檚 finger movement with her eyes, and extending her arms outward and holding them there for 10 seconds. Using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, the nurses determine that the woman is showing signs of a stroke, and immediately order lab work and a CT scan to identify the full extent of her health. Heightened emotions fill the room as the patient, and her loved ones waiting for information, are in distress.

UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Nursing is one of only nine programs worldwide to earn the Healthcare Simulation Standards Endorsement from the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning.

It 麻豆精品 S檚 real-life scenarios like this that nursing students practice without even setting foot in a hospital, thanks to augmented reality, virtual reality (VR), high-fidelity manikins and other simulation tools infused into the UCF nursing curriculum. The College of Nursing is internationally recognized for its use of simulation, including an accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, and more recently becoming one of just nine in the world to be endorsed in Healthcare Simulation Standards by the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning.

麻豆精品 S淭his way [using simulation] we ensure all our learners are exposed to a variety of patient experiences that we can 麻豆精品 S檛 guarantee they 麻豆精品 S檒l have a chance to see in the hospital before they enter the workforce, 麻豆精品 S� says Desiree D铆az, an associate professor and undergraduate simulation coordinator for UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 nursing program. D铆az is one of about 100 who are advanced certified in healthcare simulation education.

Along with colleagues, D铆az is helping design a dedicated space at the future nursing building where students will be immersed in different scenarios through VR. Screens that surround the room will project common hospital occurrences like heart attacks, strokes, childbirth, diabetes and severe wounds. Students can see expressions on faces, hear sounds of distress and machines, watch professionals make decisions in real time and learn how to do so as well.

These immersive technology tools help alleviate the burdens of the nursing shortage, too.

Kaitlyn Yu, a senior in the BSN, saw firsthand the shortage and its impact on nursing education while completing her rotations 麻豆精品 S� a time when nurses in training get supervised, hands-on experience in a hospital or other healthcare setting. Typically, each student is paired with a nurse to work alongside and receive mentorship, but during her time, there weren 麻豆精品 S檛 enough nurses to pair with students.

麻豆精品 S淪imulation helped fill that gap, 麻豆精品 S� Yu says. 麻豆精品 S淲hile there is a bit of pressure [becoming a nurse in the midst of a shortage], it 麻豆精品 S檚 all still very exciting. 麻豆精品 S�

Developing Well-rounded Nurses for More Than Just Hospitals

Growing up in a family of medical professionals, Yu has had her sights set on nursing as a profession since high school. She admired how her parents were always ready to tackle any health circumstance she or her sister experienced growing up, and she wants that kind of knowledge for herself. She envisions working in primary or emergency care, but through the UCF nursing program, she 麻豆精品 S檚 learned there are other paths her career can take her, too.

While the traditional route of nursing is acute care in a hospital, nurses are needed in a variety of settings. For instance, Yu may one day want to be a school nurse or even return to higher education as a faculty member to train the next generation. Upon graduation, she intends to earn a graduate degree so these additional doors are open to her down the road.

麻豆精品 S淭he curriculum does a great job of giving a well-rounded view of what it means to be a nurse, 麻豆精品 S� Yu says. 麻豆精品 S淚 think people will often find their initial perception of being a nurse is actually not all-encompassing of what the opportunities really are. For those considering this profession, I would encourage them to give it a chance. 麻豆精品 S�

Nurses work in schools, long-term care facilities, community health centers, mental health institutions, nursing homes and healthcare research. They also consult community leaders on risk factors that affect their communities and how certain policy decisions can make a difference. More nurses are needed in all these areas.

麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檙e tasked with thinking about growth in all capacities, 麻豆精品 S� Sole says. 麻豆精品 S淲e need to expand the undergraduate population to expand the nursing workforce. We need to expand the graduate programs because we need more faculty to teach the workforce. And we need to grow the number of Ph.D. students to expand the research and science of the field. 麻豆精品 S�

UCF graduates the most newly licensed registered nurses in Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 State University System. With the new nursing building, it can graduate about 58% more.

Sole expects to hire an additional 30 faculty members upon opening the new College of Nursing building in Lake Nona to accommodate the larger number of students who will be admitted into the program.

Michelle Tall 麻豆精品 S�17MS 麻豆精品 S�21PhD has been a nurse for 33 years, first in New York and then in Central Florida after moving to the region in 1993. She 麻豆精品 S檚 worked in emergency rooms, surgery units, marketing and sales departments, and in the nonprofit sector of healthcare. Now, she 麻豆精品 S檚 a visiting lecturer in the College of Nursing after earning a master 麻豆精品 S檚 and doctorate from UCF.

In a course called Nursing as a Profession, she works with prospective nursing students. The course covers the history of nursing, examines different nursing specialties, delves into the art and science of nursing, and so much more. A big part, she says, is self-reflection and asking oneself, 麻豆精品 S淲hy do I want to become a nurse? 麻豆精品 S�

麻豆精品 S淧eople want to feel good about what they 麻豆精品 S檙e doing. It can help avoid burnout, which is very real in nursing, 麻豆精品 S� Tall says. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 a win-win [for the workforce] whether they want to be a nurse at a hospital, a school, their church 麻豆精品 S� either way, they 麻豆精品 S檙e helping the community, and we want them to know how dynamic the field is so they can best choose for themselves the path they want to take. 麻豆精品 S�

麻豆精品 S淚n nursing, it takes a village, 麻豆精品 S� Tall says. 麻豆精品 S淲e don 麻豆精品 S檛 always have a script for it. It 麻豆精品 S檚 really the caring, the compassion and the communication that 麻豆精品 S檚 embedded in nursing [that drives it forward]. 麻豆精品 S�

A Nursing Program for the Future, and for the Fastest-growing State

When Sole meets with hospital leaders in Central Florida, every one of them tells her their hospital system is expanding.

麻豆精品 S淓very large healthcare provider in the region is growing, building facilities, freestanding emergency rooms and new specialty units, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淭he demand for healthcare grows as the population grows. 麻豆精品 S�

For the first time since 1957, Florida is the fastest-growing state in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The major healthcare systems in Central Florida are AdventHealth, Orlando Health and HCA Florida Healthcare, and each of them has goals to expand in areas of the region experiencing significant growth. AdventHealth plans to build new hospitals in Minneola and New Smyrna Beach, and Orlando Health plans to build freestanding emergency departments in St. Petersburg and Reunion in Osceola County. HCA Florida Healthcare, which is UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 partner in the UCF Lake Nona Medical Center, has its sights set on The Villages, Gainesville and Fort Myers, the Orlando Sentinel reports. These plans just scratch the surface of what 麻豆精品 S檚 in store.

In 2022, UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 new nursing building was allocated $29M in state funding and gifted $10M from Dr. Phillips Charities.

麻豆精品 S淚 cannot stress enough the importance of all our clinical partners, 麻豆精品 S� Sole says. 麻豆精品 S淲e have strong partnerships with all our local providers and are working hard to be the nursing program to meet their growing needs. 麻豆精品 S�

While it will take time to heal the impact of the pandemic and other factors on the nursing workforce, Central Florida is poised to reap the benefits. More than 14,000 nurses have graduated from UCF since 1979, and 85% of them still live and work in Florida 麻豆精品 S� a trend that is expected to continue.

Sole 麻豆精品 S檚 focus for the immediate future is to continue advocating for the value UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 new nursing facility will provide for the state, and the need for supporters to invest in helping get the project off the ground. After years of waiting, she 麻豆精品 S檚 ready to take the College of Nursing to the next level.

麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 thrilled. It 麻豆精品 S檚 so much fun planning and designing our next phase, 麻豆精品 S� Sole says. 麻豆精品 S淚 truly believe that we can become the nursing program for the future. 麻豆精品 S�

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