The University of Miami (UM) School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) has been awarded a $125,000 grant under the Florida Department of Education’s “Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) Fund” to increase the number of nursing professionals prepared to enter Florida’s nursing workforce.
In collaboration with Jackson Health System (JHS), SONHS will implement the innovative and highly successful “Care Partners Dedicated Educational Unit” (DEU) at JHS for a second year. Together with a $75,000 contribution from JHS, the LINE award will support clinical rotations and scholarships for full-time Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) students, allowing SONHS to sustain an increased enrollment capacity of 16 additional ABSN students.
“This award allows us to offer our students an innovative approach to clinicals that helps them build their nursing skills through intensive, individualized clinical experiences,” said SONHS associate professor and UM associate dean for undergraduate nursing programs and associate provost for diversity, equity, and inclusion Nichole Crenshaw, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, ANP-BC, CHSE, FAANP, who serves as Program Director for the initiative.
Students in the one-year ABSN program receive partial scholarships and complete intensive, year-long clinical placements. Under the guidance of two Clinical Faculty Coordinators (CFC) and a team of engaged and experienced JHS nurse preceptors, they receive hands-on, real-world experience and become acclimated to the nursing profession. All 16 students in the program’s inaugural cohort successfully completed their clinicals and graduated in December, 2023.
“Focusing this opportunity on our accelerated BSN students allows us to prepare new nurses to enter the workforce within a year,” said Crenshaw. “And once they graduate, they receive preferential consideration for nursing positions at Jackson Health System.”
SONHS also provides faculty appointments for two JHS nursing professionals who serve as the program’s CFCs. These highly accomplished nurse leaders direct and bring innovation to the DEU’s activities and mentor the students and nurse preceptors.
“The DEU helps students experience nursing on many levels and to look at patient care from the perspectives of diverse disciplines,” said Anthony Alicea, APRN, FNP-BC, one of the program’s CFCs. “That’s what makes the DEU different—it’s a first-class, immersive clinical education.”
Under this initiative, SONHS has also partnered with Independence Home Health (IHH), a major provider of home-based healthcare services that help residents live independently in their homes, with a service area encompassing seven counties across South Florida. A $50,000 IHH matching contribution will fund scholarships to help retain and graduate additional ABSN students.
Established under Senate Bill 2524 (2022), Florida’s LINE Fund program provides matching funds to incentivize collaboration between nursing programs and healthcare partners. The grants support educational initiatives to help alleviate Florida’s critical and growing nursing shortage.
“Through this key initiative, the Florida LINE Fund, Jackson Health System and Independence Home Health are helping support our students’ development into first-rate clinicians,” said SONHS dean and professor Cindy L. Munro, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FAAN, FAANP, FAAAS. “Together, we are bringing more nurses into the profession and helping to address our state’s nursing shortage—especially in our local South Florida communities.”
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To learn more about the partners in this initiative, please visit:
- University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies: http://www.miami.edu/sonhs
- Jackson Health System: https://jacksonhealth.org/
- Independence Home Health: https://www.independencehomehealth.com/
- Information on the “Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) Fund” can be found at https://www.fldoe.org/academics/career-adult-edu/funding-opportunities/linefund/.
