Sanford - Monday May 16, 2022: Governor Ron DeSantis has approved $125 million for nursing education for the 2022 - 2023 Fiscal Year. Additional funding for nurses in this year’s budget will include student loan reimbursement and scholarships for nurses, expanding infrastructure at colleges and universities that provide nursing education, and salary and recruitment incentives for nurses within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“We are investing in quality nursing education to increase the number of programs and jobs that prepare students for careers in nursing,” said the Governor during a news conference in Sanford. “Florida’s nurses stand ready to serve their communities every day, and we will always recognize the importance of this vocation. There has long been a need for nurses in Florida, especially as our state is growing, and we want to continue to support these front-line heroes.”
Two major programs will lead and they are:
· $100 million to establish the Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE) program to financially reward colleges and universities for their nursing education programs, based on student success.
· $25 million to establish the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) fund for schools to recruit faculty and clinical preceptors for their nursing programs, to work toward combating the shortage of nursing instructors, with funds matched dollar-to-dollar by health care partners in their community.
Florida’s major investments for nursing education programs will support those who serve the complex health care needs of our communities. Nurses comprise the nation’s largest health care profession, and in Florida we will always have their backs.
To view the National Nurses Month in Florida Proclamation, click here.
The $125 million for nursing education brings the total amount of the state's investment in Florida workforce education to more than $5 billion since 2019.