New University of Florida and North Florida Regional Medical Center partnership emphasizes quality nursing education and patient care
Recommendations by health-care leaders suggest that innovative solutions are needed to address the nation's complex nursing shortage.
To address this need, the University of Florida College of Nursing and North Florida Regional Medical Center have partnered to enhance clinical experiences for students and encourage more baccalaureate nurses in the Florida nursing workforce.
North Florida Regional Medical Center's $240,000 contribution to the UF College of Nursing will help support a faculty member who will retain an active presence at North Florida Regional Medical Center and directly supervise UF nursing clinical rotations of undergraduate and graduate students.
"This collaboration will strengthen the relationship and link between nursing practice, education and research in our community," said Scarlott Mueller, M.P.H., R.N., vice president and chief nursing officer at North Florida Regional Medical Center. "By funding an additional faculty member and increasing the number of nursing students at North Florida Regional and UF, this should contribute an increase in nursing graduates in our community and provide one small step toward reducing the nursing shortage."
The UF nursing faculty member will supervise students in both the traditional baccalaureate and accelerated baccalaureate/master's programs as well as students in graduate nursing study. The College of Nursing expects a full-time faculty member to come on board at North Florida Regional Medical Center by summer semester.
While UF will be able to enhance their nursing faculty initiatives by providing valuable clinical experiences for students, North Florida Regional Medical Center will gain more exposure and encourage qualified nurses to stay and work in the Gainesville area.
Enhanced visibility at North Florida Regional Medical Center with a dedicated faculty member also may encourage more staff nurses to pursue their bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing, Mueller said.
"The College of Nursing commends the administration at North Florida Regional Medical Center for investing in UF as we continue to create ways to address the critical nursing shortage that is affecting patient care across the state of Florida and the nation," said Kathleen Ann Long, Ph.D., A.P.R.N., F.A.A.N., dean of the UF College of Nursing. "New initiatives continue to evolve as we work with other institutions and professionals to find avenues for providing better-educated nurses to the workforce. We look forward to working with North Florida Regional Medical Center to further develop educational and practice settings that benefit both our students and their organization."