{"id":373681,"date":"2026-08-17T13:40:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T13:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/373681\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T13:40:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T13:40:26","slug":"usf-opens-expanded-college-of-nursing-facility-to-strengthen-floridas-healthcare-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/373681\/","title":{"rendered":"USF opens expanded College of Nursing facility to strengthen Florida\u2019s healthcare workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"

The University of South Florida<\/a> celebrated the opening of its newly expanded USF Health College of Nursing<\/a> on Aug. 14, cutting the ribbon on a state-of-the-art facility that will enhance training
\n for nursing students and strengthen the healthcare workforce in Tampa Bay and across
\n Florida.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The three-story, 42,000-square-foot expansion will allow USF to better meet the region\u2019s
\n urgent need for nurses while offering students superior clinical training and hands-on
\n learning opportunities. As part of the expansion, the College of Nursing committed
\n to graduating an additional 500 undergraduate students by 2028 and is on track to
\n exceed that goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt USF, we believe one of our greatest responsibilities is preparing the people Florida
\n needs,\u201d said USF President Moez Limayem<\/a>. \u201cThis facility will help us educate even more nursing students, strengthen the talent
\n pipeline and prepare graduates who are ready to enter the workforce with the confidence,
\n skill and experience to provide exceptional care.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Florida projected to face a shortage of nearly 20,000 registered nurses over
\n the next decade, the new facility builds on USF\u2019s role as one of the state\u2019s leading
\n engines for nursing education. USF already graduates more new nurses than any institution
\n in Florida and is home to the largest nursing graduate program in the state.<\/p>\n

The $33 million project was made possible through a strategic state investment by
\n Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature in 2022. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture
\n Wilton Simpson, who was Senate President at the time, championed the effort to expand
\n USF\u2019s nursing education infrastructure and enhance simulation training space, playing
\n a key role in securing support for the project and advocating its importance to Florida\u2019s
\n healthcare system. Construction began in 2024 and was completed on time and on budget.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe brick and mortar we are celebrating this morning is significant, but it also
\n represents the continued importance of investing,\u201d said Mike Griffin<\/a>, chair of the USF Board of Trustees. \u201cThe ROI that happens here is significant and
\n meaningful. As we look to the future, we\u2019ll build on the incredible impact the University
\n of South Florida has made, not only in this region, but in this state and this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Built for the demands of modern nursing education, the facility features the advanced
\n Tampa General Hospital Nursing Simulation Center, modern clinical training spaces,
\n flexible learning labs, study areas and adaptable classrooms. Its second floor includes
\n a premier classroom that can accommodate up to 160 students or be divided into two
\n 80-person rooms, along with a multipurpose room, study spaces and an additional lobby
\n area for students and faculty. The third floor, which will house research labs, is
\n expected to be completed in January 2027.<\/p>\n

\"Exterior
\n \"USF-TGH<\/p>\n

\u201cThis building represents opportunity. It represents growth. And it represents our
\n commitment to meeting one of Florida\u2019s greatest healthcare needs,\u201d said Usha Menon,
\n dean of the USF Health College of Nursing and senior associate vice president of USF
\n Health. \u201cEvery student who walks through these doors, every discovery made here and
\n every patient whose life is improved because of the education that happens inside
\n this building will be part of the legacy we celebrate today.\u201d<\/p>\n

A centerpiece of the expansion is the Tampa General Hospital Nursing Simulation Center,
\n a hub for immersive clinical education created as part of a generous $4.4 million investment from Tampa General Hospital<\/a>. Anchoring the facility\u2019s first floor, the center houses 12 clinical examination
\n rooms, six high-fidelity simulation rooms, six control rooms, four simulation learning
\n labs, six debriefing classrooms and a multipurpose learning lab. In those spaces,
\n students will develop and refine the real-world skills they will need as nurses \u2014
\n such as taking vital signs, communicating with patients, administering medications
\n and identifying sepsis \u2014 in a controlled learning environment before they enter clinical
\n settings.<\/p>\n

Tampa General Hospital\u2019s investment in the simulation center extends a longstanding
\n partnership with USF that began in 1970, when TGH<\/a> became the primary teaching hospital for the Morsani College of Medicine and its
\n residency programs. The collaboration has since expanded across USF Health\u2019s four
\n colleges and its academic, research and clinical missions. Together, USF Health and
\n TGH form one of the nation\u2019s premier academic health centers, with more than 1,000
\n providers caring for over one million patients each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt Tampa General, our partnership with USF Health is rooted in a shared commitment
\n to shaping the future of health care for Florida,\u201d said John Couris<\/a>, president and CEO, Florida Health Sciences Center | Tampa General. \u201cNurses are the
\n heart of every health system, and investing in their education is one of the most
\n meaningful ways we can strengthen patient care for generations to come. This simulation
\n center gives students the opportunity to learn, practice and build confidence in an
\n environment that mirrors the realities of clinical care, so they are better prepared
\n to step into the moments that matter most for patients and families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
\n \"Interaction<\/p>\n

As Florida\u2019s need for nurses continues to grow, the expansion will further strengthen
\n workforce pipelines and career pathways for students looking to enter the nursing
\n profession. Ariana Sawyer, an undergraduate nursing student and student council president
\n for the College of Nursing, is among the hundreds of learners who will train in the
\n new facility. She said the space will enhance the student experience by facilitating
\n a clearer connection between classroom learning and clinical care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeday, someone will trust us with their life, and we want to be ready,\u201d Sawyer
\n said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have places where we can come together to collaborate, and a training
\n space where we can make mistakes, build confidence and grow before someone\u2019s health
\n depends on the decisions we make. Because of USF, we will be ready to provide exceptional
\n care.\u201d<\/p>\n

The expansion adds to USF\u2019s position as a statewide leader in nursing education and
\n workforce development. Founded in 1973, the USF Health College of Nursing now enrolls
\n nearly 2,000 bachelor\u2019s, master\u2019s and doctoral students and is home to the top-ranked Master of Science in Nursing program in Florida<\/a>. It also hosts the Florida Center for Nursing<\/a>, a state-funded workforce center focused on the recruitment and retention of nurses.<\/p>\n

This fall, the college will begin offering a new four-year Freshman Nursing Pathway degree program on the USF St. Petersburg campus<\/a>, allowing as many as 85 students each year to start preparations for a nursing career
\n immediately upon entering their college career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The University of South Florida celebrated the opening of its newly expanded USF Health College of Nursing on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373682,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-373681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}