FORT MYERS, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis' office reported the LINE and PIPELINE Funding Grants are successfully working to close the gap in the nursing workforce.
For the second consecutive year, FGCU has a 100% pass rate for its nursing students.
Brenda Hage is the Director of FGCU's nursing program.
"Southwest Florida and Florida in general has had a very large influx to the population, so our needs for nursing care have grown even greater," she said.
$380 million in grant funding has been made available in the last two years in the state. Universities can apply and it helps pay for partnerships with health systems. Students can receive scholarships and practice inside hospitals.
For this 2024 to the 2025 year, FGCU has received a total of $4,488,335 (breakout: $1,340,000 Line funding and $3,148,335 in Pipeline funding).
"I've had a lot of good experiences with patients and with the nurses I've been able to shadow. It's really great to get into the hospital or behind the curtain," Alexa Davis, one FGCU student said.
The following statement from Lee Health speaks to this:
“Through the support of the LINE grant, we have strengthened our collaboration with FGCU to train, hire, and retain nurses right here in Southwest Florida. An exceptional pass rate ensures a steady pipeline of highly skilled, timely licensed graduate nurses ready to join our residency program. Maintaining this pass rate also sustains eligibility for continued LINE grant opportunities. Currently, several individuals are benefiting from scholarships made possible by this partnership, and we hope to see even more graduates stay, work, and grow professionally in Southwest Florida to serve our community.”
The goal is to produce well-trained nurses and mitigate the shortage, one hire at a time.
Brooke Pressimone is another nursing student at FGCU.
"We have clinical and then we have our simulation labs. That is a great way for us to do all of the hands on learning that you can't really get until you graduate," Pressimone said.
