Daytona State College has a new strategy to produce more nurses: Improve student success

A state effort to address shortages on healthcare's front lines has infused Daytona State College with $3.8 million to increase the number of its nursing graduates.

College officials say the money − $1 million from Halifax Health, $900,000 from local AdventHealth hospitals, and a $1.9 million match from the state − will be used to establish a new, permanent faculty position aimed at helping more students cross the finish line and graduate with nursing degrees.

The Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) program, established through a 2022 Senate bill, is a direct response to the needs of an industry stressed by the coronavirus pandemic on top of a demographic trend of baby boomers and others leaving the profession.

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"There’s a nursing shortage. There’s always kind of been one nationally, but post-COVID, it’s real," said Colin Chesley, a Daytona State College associate vice president. "And the health systems are feeling it in a much more painful way than before."

The Florida Hospital Association expects that the state’s healthcare providers will need to hire an additional 2,300 RNs and 1,700 LPNs every year for the next 12 years to meet a projected shortfall in 2035.

DeSantis: $19 million 'will meet a critical need'

In all, the Florida Department of Education awarded $19 million to 26 healthcare pipeline institutions through LINE.

“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,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a January announcement in Sanford.

The $1.9 million Daytona State landed was the second-largest award in Florida, trailing only the College of Central Florida in Ocala. That school received $6.7 million, matching a $10.3 million commitment by the Citrus County Hospital Board, for an infusion of $17 million.

Jim Henningsen, president of the College of Central Florida, said the money will be used for scholarships, additional nursing faculty and equipment, and labs to expand nursing education.

“Now, more than ever, we need to recruit and train qualified nurses to meet the growing demands of our local community,” Henningsen said in a news release.

Educational institutions receiving funds included the University of Miami, Jacksonville University, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Seminole State College, Tallahassee Community College, and Indian River County School District.

How Daytona State plans to use its $3.8 million

Daytona State College will use funds for a number of initiatives, with the biggest investment in an endowment to permanently fund a second student success specialist to join the faculty.

"Any time we have students who are struggling academically or who need extra help, this student success specialist will be there full-time," Chesley said.

The specialist won't teach courses, but instead will specifically work with struggling nursing students to help either with skills in their clinical rotations or with their academics in the classroom, Chesley said.

A portion of the funding will be used to help prepare students for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), the entrance exam for the profession.

While Daytona State College had a 96% pass rate, much higher than the national average for schools, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing has introduced a next-generation NCLEX that the May graduates will be first to take.

"Typically there’s a big dip in the NCLEX pass rates any time there’s a big change like this. So having this student success specialist is going to be key in ensuring that we maintain our high NCLEX pass rate," Chesley said.

Money will also be used to fund software, scholarships and to purchase new simulation equipment.

Halifax Health, AdventHealth invest in nursing

Kimberly Fulcher, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Halifax Health, said the system contributed $1 million out of one of its general funds “because nursing is vital to patient care and our mission of taking care of the community.”

She added that Halifax Health is the area’s only “teaching hospital for both physicians and nurses,” with a residency program and internship program for nursing students.

Michele Goeb-Burkett, chief nursing officer for AdventHealth’s hospitals in Volusia, Flagler, and north Lake counties, explained why it was important for the system to participate in the effort.

"Daytona State College is where we get the largest majority of our nurses, our nurse residents for hospitals in Volusia County and Flagler," she said.

Goeb-Burkett acknowledged that nursing school is difficult, and she is a believer in Daytona State's approach to helping more students complete their degrees.

"We just want to ensure that anybody that aspires to be a nurse has the support that they need," she said. "We understand those dynamics and how can we best support them. We’re doing that on the hospital side, as well," she said, noting AdventHealth offers its employees tuition assistance if they seek to further their education.

Halifax Health also provides team members tuition assistance if they want to go to nursing school.

“Investing in team members through education is one of the most important goals at Halifax Health and we want Halifax Health team members to know that we value them,” said Jeff Feasel, president and CEO.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: With healthcare help in short supply, DSC seeks more nursing graduates