To address Florida’s nursing shortage, Saint Leo University began offering a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2021. The goal was to send 200 nurses into the workforce within five years.
Four years later, the first cohort of 12 takes part in the Pasco County school’s first pinning ceremony on May 5, then graduates with Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees two days after.
“They didn’t simply meet the expectations of our program; they helped shape them,” nursing faculty member Paige Porter said in a release from the school. “Their legacy sets the standard for those who will follow in their footsteps.”
According to Saint Leo, the curriculum placed an emphasis on hands-on studies and clinician well-being. A concern, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, was that many health care workers left the profession due to burnout.
“We saw how important it was for nurses to be resilient and to manage stress,” Kathleen Van Eerden, dean of Saint Leo's College of Health Professions, said.
She said it was important for Saint Leo’s program to help students build the skills they need to be happy in their choice, so that they have a long career in nursing.
“It’s made a difference in how I handle my stress,” said Mekhai Dinnard, a student who balanced her studies with working as a nurse extern at Moffitt Cancer Center and as a pediatric behavioral technician.
“Nursing school is hard, and being a new graduate nurse will be extremely hard as well, especially in the beginning. It’s important that I prioritize my mental health in order to give the best care possible to my patients.”
During the spring 2024 semester, the cohort experienced one-on-one clinical training with nurse preceptors at AdventHealth Zephyrhills through a partnership that used an innovative training approach called a dedicated education unit (DEU).
With this model, each student shadows with a preceptor, or mentor, helping care for the preceptor’s caseload of patients on a typical 12-hour nursing shift.
A standard model would place eight students with a nursing instructor, and then be assigned to only one patient, according to Saint Leo.
“I got to apply everything I learned in real time with a single preceptor,” student Ava Valenti said. “The hands-on experience made the lectures come to life and helped me build confidence in my skills.”
This year, the DEU program expanded to include AdventHealth Dade City.
“Our preceptors went out of their way to teach us everything they could and let us gain clinical skills,” student Brenna Reinhard said. “Using the DEU model, there was never a time we felt unwelcome within our clinical experience.”
In addition to financial assistance from donors, the private Catholic university received a $740,000 appropriation in 2023-04 from the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis. That went toward developing the nursing program and the creation of a state-of-the-art learning facility that includes two conference rooms, two classrooms, five offices, three simulation rooms, an assessment room, simulation control room, nursing lab, lounge and study spaces.
The grand opening was in February after a delay because of Hurricane Milton.
“Our simulations were very well thought out and creative, using the most up-to-date technology, allowing us to experience certain health situations such as delivering babies and providing wound care,” senior Laynee Marsee said.
After graduation, passing their boards and earning their state licenses, the new nurses anticipate immediate work. Data from the Florida Hospital Association shows Florida projects a deficit of about 59,000 nurses by 2035.
Florida health officials and the university hope the grads will spend their careers caring for Florida patients. Retention is part of the shortage issue.
Some of the grads have already accepted positions or have offers locally with AdventHealth, Lakeland Regional Health, Tampa General Hospital, Moffit Cancer Center and BayCare, according to Saint Leo.
“They are ready — more than ready — to take their place in the world as nurses,” Porter said. “And I’m truly honored to have been part of their story.”
