Palm Beach Atlantic is one of seven independent, nonprofit higher education institutions eligible to receive more than $4.3 million from the Florida Department of Education to combat the state’s nursing shortage.
The Florida Legislature allocated the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) funding during the 2022 legislative session. The University has been approved to receive up to $500,000 through the LINE grant.
The grants are intended to incentivize collaboration between nursing education programs and healthcare partners and to meet local, regional and state workforce demands. Funds may be used to recruit faculty, recruit clinical preceptors and increase the capacity of high-quality nursing education programs.
“Palm Beach Atlantic has long had an excellent reputation of educating well-prepared, compassionate nurses,” said School of Nursing Dean Dr. Phyllis King. “This grant will allow us produce even more nurses who are servant leaders in their communities, the state of Florida and the world.”
Participating Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF) institutions will increase the capacity of their high-quality nursing education programs, which will increase the number of nursing graduates.
“Florida is experiencing a severe shortage of nurses, and Florida’s independent colleges and universities are best suited to respond to market needs and fill the gap,” said Bob Boyd, ICUF president and CEO. “We are grateful to Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for investing in Florida’s healthcare workforce through ICUF schools.”
Last year, ICUF institutions across the state produced 3,600 nursing degrees, ranging from associate degrees to doctoral, Boyd said. Palm Beach Atlantic offers RN to BSN, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral nursing degrees. The LINE funding will allow the school to expand on this success.
LINE funding is a competitive grant program that provides $19 million to match funds, on a dollar-to-dollar basis, with participating institutions that partner with a hospital and/or healthcare provider in their recruitment efforts.
The other recipients are AdventHealth University, Barry University, Florida Southern College, Jacksonville University, Nova Southeastern University, and University of Miami.
“Florida is in need of more skilled and educated nurses, and Florida’s independent colleges and universities are an important part of the solution to this workforce shortage,” said Dennis Baxley, president pro tempore in the Florida Senate. “That’s why we invested this funding in workforce development, and I’m confident these grant recipients will deliver.”