Both AdventHealth and Orlando Health are joining forces with University of Central Florida to help address a shortage in nurses state-wide.
Both hospital systems have committed $5 million towards the new UCF College of Nursing that will soon be under construction in Lake Nona. The new building is expected to graduate hundreds of nurses a year and both AdventHealth and Orlando Health are signing on to provide tuition assistance and additional paid internships for UCF nursing students. When complete, the 90,000 SF building will be large enough for the college to increase enrollment by at least 50% to make a much more significant impact in helping to alleviate the state’s nursing shortage.
“Ensuring we have well-educated, highly trained, and skilled nurses to meet Florida’s growing healthcare needs is a pressing challenge for the entire healthcare sector,” said Randy Haffner, CEO of AdventHealth Florida. “Partnering with leading educational institutions such as UCF is absolutely vital to ensuring these efforts are successful.”
According to the Florida Hospital Association, the state needs more than 60,000 nurses by 2035 to help meet projected healthcare needs. According to the Florida Center for Nursing, over 40% of nurses are estimated to be Baby Boomers and are expected to retire in the next 10 years.
According to this report by CNN Health in April 2023, it’s estimated that 100,000 nurses left the workforce due to pandemic-related burnout.
