New Nursing Shortage Act In Florida

Brownms46 · Mar 25, 2002

I find this very interesting...as Florida has in the past been one of the hardest states to get a license in ...outside of CA.

The Nursing Shortage Solution Act:

Removes limits on the number of students who can enroll in Florida nursing colleges. Schools including the University of South Florida in Tampa could enroll as many students as they have resources and staff to adequately teach.

Allows licensed nurses from other states to work while their Florida licenses are being processed and streamlines that procedure. Qualified nurses must have practiced for two of the past three years, have passed the national nursing exam and be in good standing. They also must pass a criminal background check.

Provides $ 1-million for matching grants to hospitals for nurse retention and out-of-state recruitment programs. Eligible hospitals must have vacancy rates of at least 20 percent.

Expands the Nursing Scholarship Program to include students who are seeking an associate's degree, not just those seeking upper-level degrees. The program will pay up to $ 8,000 per year for qualified undergraduate applicants, provided they complete the course of study and work in Florida. Registered nurses seeking graduate or faculty degrees can get up to $ 12,000 per year.

Increases the Nursing Loan Forgiveness Program. The program would be able to payprincipal payments of up to $ 4,000 a year for up to four years for selected graduates of accredited nursing programs who continue to work in Florida. Before, the program paid a percentage that was based on how long the nurse had been working.

Here is the link to the full story:

http://webpublisher.lexisnexis.com/index.asp?layout=story&gid=1730000973&did=45DB-70D0-010G-13SH-00000-00&cid=1100004510&b=s

:cool:

I have tried to delete this as there is already a post on it...but I can't ...so sorry about the double posting... :eek:

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