JDR: UNF, FSCJ sign agreement to expand health care education

The University of North Florida and Florida State College at Jacksonville hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 22 to celebrate a new facility and academic partnership between UNF MedNexus and FSCJ.

“UNF MedNexus addresses the region’s growing and evolving health care needs through education and development of talented nurses and health care workers who are prepared to enter the workforce,”  UNF President David Szymanski said in a news release.

“Our academic and facility partnership with FSCJ allows us to advance health care education in an innovative and progressive manner by positively impacting the number of high-demand health care professionals,” he said.

Through the agreement, UNF MedNexus located its nurse training and health care simulation center at FSCJ Deerwood Center. The simulation lab allows students to learn hands-on skills and practice clinical scenarios in patient care situations.

Szymanski and FSCJ President John Avendano also signed a memorandum of understanding for an academic partnership that will create a master’s pathway for FSCJ students to get a head start in UNF’s graduate-degree nursing programs.

The Health Honors Direct master’s program allows students in FSCJ’s nursing program to enroll in up to nine credit hours in UNF’s nursing master’s program.

“At FSCJ, we are continually seeking ways that we can better serve and provide for the needs of our neighbors throughout this community,” Avendano said in the release. 

“We are proud of our role in this partnership that will elevate the level of health care available here in local hospitals and medical offices, while also generating the skilled medical professionals of tomorrow.”

The U.S. Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card and Shortage Forecast projects that between 2015 and 2030, Florida will be one of the top three states in the U.S. with the greatest shortage of registered nurses. 

Visit www.unf.edu/unfmednexus for more information.