Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, HCA Commit $470K for Florida International University Tampa Foreign MD-RN Program

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Largo Medical Center – part of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) West Florida Division – have committed financial support to continue providing the College of Nursing and Health Sciences’ award-winning Foreign-Educated Physician to Nursing Program (FEPN) in Florida’s Tampa Bay region.

FIU’s nationally acclaimed program – a specialized, 5-semester curriculum that transforms foreign-educated doctors into nurses – was launched in Miami in 2002 as a unique solution to the nursing shortage, for which it won a Recognition of Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Labor. Since then, more than 300 FEPN graduates have joined South Florida’s health care workforce. Through live videoconferencing, the program was expanded to the Tampa Bay area in January 2007, with the first students graduating in August 2008.

Dr. Divina Grossman, Dean of the College, explained the importance of this new funding.

“We knew we were sitting on a gold mine of opportunity with the program in Tampa,” she said. “We have a diverse candidate pool to choose from. We have the technological and academic structure in place to deliver the program. We have hospitals coming to us to help fill their nursing workforce shortages. And we have a track record of success, with five years’ worth of graduates integrating quickly and effectively as nurses in health care facilities. What we did not have were the financial resources to ensure the program’s existence in the region, until now.”

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is contributing $250,000 to cover program costs. This will help recruit additional professors and adjunct faculty to accommodate expansion of the program.

“As a leading health care provider, we have long supported educational programming aimed at increasing the affordability and availability of care for all Floridians,” said Susan B. Towler, vice president, community affairs for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida. “This is a tremendous example of an innovative and practical solution to the nursing shortage.”

David Pizzo, market president, west Florida region for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, also expressed enthusiastic support for the program.

“This wonderful program is simply a win-win for everyone,” he said. “It provides an innovative solution to our state’s nursing shortage by providing the most qualified candidates from around the world the unique opportunity to train and graduate as nurses. We are proud to be part of it.”

HCA’s Largo Medical Center is donating $11,000 per student in scholarship assistance. These long-distance students will partake in interactive, live videoconferencing classroom sessions with their counterparts on FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus in Miami, Fla., and conduct their clinical instructions at the facility. Upon graduation, they will enter into multi-year work commitments with the hospital.

Said Largo Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Carol Negoshian, “We know from our past experience supporting the FEPN program that an investment in scholarship support for these experienced, motivated nursing students is money well spent. The program outcomes speak for themselves.”

Evidence of these outcomes is documented in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of Nursing Education.  An article authored by Dean Grossman and Professor Mary Jorda documented excellent student outcomes in critical thinking, NCLEX pass rates and socialization to nursing.

“The investment both organizations are making in the FEPN goes far beyond dollar figures,” explained Grossman. “They are investing in a program that is proven to immediately impact the quality and quantity of the nursing workforce, and this has long-term value for them as health care providers. Our graduates will become exceptional and essential health care professionals serving the Tampa community, and we thank Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Largo Medical Center for their support and commitment.”

Students of this new Tampa cohort started the program in January 2009 and hail from Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Volusia, Seminole and Osceola counties. They represent the most diverse group of students to date in the FEPN program, representing the countries of Morocco, Tajikistan, Turkey, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, India, Russia, Haiti, Cuba, Ecuador, Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

About the College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Established in 1982, the School of Nursing at Florida International University (FIU) was elevated in October 2006 into the College of Nursing & Health Sciences.  It is the second-largest producer of nursing professionals in the State, offering undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, baccalaureate completion and specialty programs in nursing education. The College also offers master’s and doctoral level programs in Athletic Training, Communication Sciences & Disorders, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy.  Based in Miami, Florida, the College of Nursing & Health Sciences is a part of Florida International University, a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution with a Carnegie Foundation classification as a doctoral, research extensive university. FIU has ranked among the top 100 public national universities by U.S. News & World Reports. For more information, visit the FIU News Portal: http://newsarchives.fiu.edu

About FIU:
Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, FIU graduates more Hispanics than any other university in the country. Its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University.” In 2006 FIU was authorized to establish a medical school, which will welcome its first class in 2009. FIU’s College of Law recently received accreditation in the fastest time allowed by the American Bar Association.