May 25, 2022
Tallahassee Community College (TCC) has announced plans to double the size of its top-ranked nursing program over the next few years in order to meet community needs among nationwide nursing shortages.
The College is due to receive $825,607 in recurring funds from the state which will be used to hire instructors. The funds are part of a $125 million allocation from the Florida Legislature to provide scholarships and expand infrastructure at colleges and universities for clinical training. $100 million will establish the Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE) program to reward colleges with high student success in their nursing programs. Another $25 million will go toward recruiting faculty and clinical instructors for their nursing programs to combat the shortage of nurses in Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis announced his approval of the funding in a press conference last week.
“We are investing in quality nursing education to increase the number of programs and jobs that prepare students for careers in nursing,” said Governor Ron DeSantis in a recent press release. “Florida’s nurses stand ready to serve their communities every day, and we will always recognize the importance of this vocation. There has long been a need for nurses in Florida, especially as our state is growing, and we want to continue to support these front-line heroes.”
In addition to the recurring funds for instructors, TCC recently began construction on a second simulation center at the Ghazvini Center for Healthcare Education, an 85,000-square-foot facility located in the heart of Tallahassee’s medical corridor. The project was funded through the College’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) allocation.
“In order to double the number of nurses graduating from our programs, we not only have to double the number of faculty members, we have to double all of our capabilities,” said Dr. Calandra Stringer, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at TCC. “We are seeing more interest in our nursing program than ever before, with students waiting to get in. With the generous funding from the state which will allow us to hire eight to ten full-time instructors and the second simulation center due to open in the Fall semester, we are excited about what lies ahead for our nursing program.”
The current simulation center includes six suites designed as hospital rooms as well as 14 adult, four pediatric, two infant, one newborn, and one maternal patient simulators to provide real-life experiences for students when training students on specific skills. In addition to the patient simulators, the center also has four Virtual IV trainers and four complete HeartCode® systems to allow students to obtain Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) certifications.
This month, TCC was named one of the Top 10 Best Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) Programs in the Southeast for 2022 by NursingProcess.org, a nursing educational resource, based on NCLEX-RN pass rates, academic quality, the nursing school's reputation, and affordability. Full rankings can be seen here. In 2021, TCC was ranked Most Affordable Online Nursing Degree by Education Reference Desk, a nationally recognized provider of college planning resources.
TCC offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, an Associate in Science in Nursing which includes the Healthcare Professional-to-RN), and a Nurse Assistant Long Term Care certificate. Healthcare programs also include A.S. degrees in Dental Hygiene, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Technology, Surgical Services, Radiologic Technology, and Respiratory Care. Certificate programs include Central Sterile Processing Technologist, Dental Assisting, Emergency Medical Technician, Endoscopy Technician, Paramedic, and Surgical Technology Specialist. All healthcare programs are limited access and limited enrollment with specific admission requirements for each program.