Florida - Friday January 6, 2022: Governor DeSantis has awarded $79 million for high-performing nursing education programs in Florida. The funding rewards public postsecondary nursing programs that have gone above and beyond to train Floridians and provides matching funds for scholarship awards, faculty recruitment, equipment and additional educational supports.
Indian River State College and the Indian River County School District are among the institutions that will receive funding.
The full list of institutions receiving LINE funding include: AdventHealth University, Seminole State College, Daytona State College, Nova Southeastern University, Indian River County School District, Polk State College, Jacksonville University, Valencia College, Santa Fe College, The College of the Florida Keys, Bethesda College of Health Sciences, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Hillsborough Community College, Southeastern University, St. Petersburg College, Broward College, Barry University, Northwest Florida State College, South Florida State College, State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, Indian River State College, Florida Southern College, Tallahassee Community College, Miami Dade College, University of Miami, and College of Central Florida
“These awards will meet a critical need of our state by ensuring we continue to have high-quality nursing graduates and by creating new opportunities for Floridians interested in healthcare,” said Governor Ron DeSantis.
This funding is through the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) and Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE) programs, which are designed to mitigate Florida’s nursing shortage.
Since 2019, the DeSantis Administration has awarded more than $5 billion in workforce education funding to various institutions that provide high-quality training and education programs in Florida.
The $79 million will go to the following programs:
Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE)
A total of $19 million is awarded through the LINE fund for Florida College System institutions, school district postsecondary technical centers, charter technical centers, and independent nonprofit colleges or universities located and chartered in Florida with necessary accreditation requirements. The program provides matching funds on a dollar-to-dollar basis to participating agencies that partner with approved health care providers.
Funds may be used to award scholarships to students who meet in-state tuition residency requirements, recruit additional faculty, purchase equipment and support simulation centers to advance high-quality nursing education programs throughout Florida.
All eligible LINE applicants must also meet performance standards based on the prior year, including:
• A completion rate of at least 70% for certified nursing assistant (CNA) programs.
• A first-time National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensing Examination (NCLEX) passage rate of at least 70% for licensed practical nurse, Associate of Science in nursing, and Bachelor of Science in nursing programs.
Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE)
A total of $60 million has been distributed to school districts with licensed practical nursing programs ($20 million) and Florida College System institutions with licensed practical nursing and registered nursing programs ($40 million) through the PIPELINE program. Performance funds are based on the following criteria:
• The number of nursing education program completers, by program.
• The first-time NCLEX passage rate of the institution’s nursing education program completers, by program.
• Excellence among nursing education programs with an average first-time NCLEX passage rate above the national average.