Keiser University’s work to address Florida’s nursing shortage was recently featured in the Naples Daily News. The article highlights Keiser University’s Nursing Advisory Council for their statewide efforts to help produce more nurses in Florida as the state faces an impending shortage of qualified nurse practitioners.

Keiser University’s Nursing Advisory Council was organized in July 2022 with 34 healthcare leaders, lawmakers, and nursing educators from across Florida. The council developed short- and long-term solutions to help solve the State’s nursing shortage, which is expected to reach 60,000 by 2035, according to a September 2021 report by the Florida Hospital Association (FHA). In March, the council appeared at the Florida Capitol to present their findings and recommendations.

Florida’s nursing shortage has been a priority for Governor DeSantis and state lawmakers as well. In January, the Governor announced $79 million for nursing education and healthcare partnerships. In February, the Senate Committee on Postsecondary Education and the Health Policy Committee voted unanimously to advance SB 274, known as ‘Camos to Scrubs,’ which creates a pathway for military combat medics to become nurses. The bill has a companion in the Florida House, HB 517.

The nursing advisory council’s recommendations consider additional avenues to address the nursing shortage, including Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) funding, the Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) Grant, childcare agreements, and grants for additional preceptors and nurse educators. The Keiser advisory council recommendations are designed to help remove barriers for growing the nursing workforce, to help with affordable housing, burn out, a lack of nurse educators and the limitations on clinical training for advanced nursing students.

Christine Mueller, DNP, RN, PCCN-K,  chief nurse administrator for Keiser’s College of Nursing shared insights with Liz Freeman of the Naples Daily News relating to the diminishing nursing workforce, and how Keiser University Nursing Advisory Council leaders are teaming to support the profession for her article titled ‘Burnout, stress, and retirement causing nearly 900,000 nurses nationwide to quit.’

As a career-focused university with 21 Florida campuses, Keiser University continues to address the talent needs of Florida’s healthcare system and is a statewide leader in nursing and allied health education. More than 3,200 nursing students have graduated from Keiser University since 2017 and the University recently launched a new Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree meant to address Florida’s nursing shortage in women’s health.

The article can be found in full at: https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/2023/04/24/how-are-southwest-florida-hospitals-tackling-spike-in-nurse-shortage/70129546007/.

Keiser University is a private, independent, non-profit university serving nearly 20,000 students at 21 Florida campuses, online, and two international sites. Co-founded in 1977 by Chancellor Arthur Keiser, Ph.D., and Evelyn Keiser, Keiser University currently offers more than 100 degrees from associate to the doctoral level. Keiser University is a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and was ranked No. 11 in the U.S. in Social Mobility by U.S. News and World Reports in 2021.