Happy staff talking around a table.

A Florida state grant program is channeling $3.6 million to the University of Florida College of Nursing to help meet the demand for nurses, nurse practitioners and nurse scientists in nursing homes, hospitals, schools and other settings.

The PIPELINE (Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education) program is part of a statewide effort to alleviate the nursing shortage. In May, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced  $125 million for nursing education for the 2022–2023 state budget.

“With the PIPELINE funding, we will not only increase the supply of front-line BSN-prepared nurses but also grow our graduate student body, which will contribute to the nursing faculty pipeline and further address the current nursing shortage,” College of Nursing Dean Anna McDaniel, PhD, RN, FAAN, said in a statement.

The college plans to address the nursing shortage by beefing up enrollment in its Doctor of Nursing Practice and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree programs by expanding its faculty, recruiting almost 20 new teachers at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The expansion will allow for a 50% enrollment increase in the BSN program at the university’s Jacksonville campus, which will double by 2025, the university predicts. Student enrollment at the home campus in Gainesville is expected to increase by more than 15%.

The monies also will provide for scholarships.