PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — A new state investment is helping train the next generation of nurses in Florida, with more than $20 million going to nursing programs across the state.

What You Need To Know

A new state investment is helping train the next generation of nurses in Florida

More than $20 million is going to nursing programs across the state

The state says it has invested $485 million in nursing programs since 2022

Gov. Ron DeSantis says the expanded funding and scholarships could help fill critical health care jobs, and it’s already making a difference for students at St. Pete College.

While it looks like a hospital, it’s actually Kaylee Wynn’s classroom at St. Pete College, and Mr. Hercules, a simulation mannequin, is her patient.

“You don’t expect it, you go up to a mannequin and it’s breathing, so it’s the weirdest thing at first. But you kind of get used to it,” she said.

Kaylee is a fourth-semester nursing student and will graduate in May. Nursing will be Kaylee’s second career — she was a special needs teacher, until something happened in her life that prompted her to make a change.

“When my dad was hit by a drunk driver, I saw him in and out of hospitals having experiences, good and bad ones. Those things change how you feel about things, so I wanted to make an impact on people,” she said.

Kaylee received the LINE scholarship from the state to help her pay for nursing school. DeSantis recently awarded $20 million to LINE funding, saying Florida is investing to strengthen the health care workforce.

“While you’re in nursing school, it’s hard to get the hours for work. You go from full-time to not working much, so any scholarship opportunity is great,” said Kaylee.

SPC Dean of Nursing Jean Lee, who has been in nursing since 1991, says the demand for nurses is always there, but especially now. SPC recently expanded its program, and she says state funding is crucial to provide students with the essential equipment they need, like simulation mannequins.

“The idea is that the simulation center mimics the real-world hospital, and so we have to provide experiences for them in simulation that will equate to what they experience when they go into the hospital and take care of real patients,” said Lee.

Kaylee says that experience means when she graduates, she’ll be confident caring for patients from day one. 

The state says it has invested $485 million in nursing programs since 2022.