---
title: Solving Florida’s nursing shortage
url: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/solving-floridas-nursing-shortage/"
type: post
date_published: 2024-09-27
date_modified: 2025-08-01
schema:
  @type: Article
language: en-US
word_count: 620
reading_time: 4 min
canonical: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/solving-floridas-nursing-shortage/"
featured_image: "https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Nursing-Burnout.jpg"
categories:
  - Newsroom
---

# Solving Florida’s nursing shortage

![Nursing Program with NCLEX preparation](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Nursing-Burnout.jpg)

**[Tampa Bay Business Journal](https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2024/09/06/solving-florida-s-nursing-shortage.html),**
September 6, 2024
_By Cam Felismino, Contributing Writer_

---

The nursing profession is at a crossroads: Patient needs are growing and
evolving as our population ages, and we face a critical shortage of trained
nurses to respond.

I know the impact staffing shortages have on nurses and patients because I’ve
lived it. I was a nurse for 29 years in various clinical settings, including
bedside roles in surgery and telemetry units, before I transitioned to nursing
education to develop the next generation of nurses.

Being short-staffed takes a toll on everyone: doctors, nurses and ultimately
patients. Staffing shortages create a vicious cycle; without enough nurses, the
burden on others increases and individuals are more likely to leave a stressful
work environment.

While the shortage impacts health systems and patients nationwide, Florida is
among the top five states projected to have the worst nursing shortages by 2030,
with a possible shortfall of 59,100 nurses by 2035. The stakes for patients are
high: longer wait times, less availability of care and substandard nurse-patient
ratios.

The shortage is already being felt in Tampa, with some local health care workers
saying they are experiencing increased workloads that are leading to fatigue and
burnout. Addressing this problem in our community requires multifaceted tactics
and innovative solutions.

As a nurse educator, my goal is not just to prepare the next generation of
nurses to fill an immediate need but also to equip them for a rewarding and
sustainable career. That means more than simply training more nurses — we must
train nurses who are better equipped for the realities of a changing health care
system.

Teaching methods should go beyond textbooks, lectures and theory. Innovative
training methods, like hands-on simulation learning, help students prepare for
the scenarios they are likely to face on the job — whether in an operating room
or a patient’s living room. Combating the cycle of burnout is also crucial. We
need to teach our students to care for themselves, prioritize their mental
health and recognize the signs of burnout. Educators should work closely with
clinical partners to ensure we teach real-world skills.

Of course, increasing the number of nurses we train is also critical. Three-year
programs are one solution, reducing the life disruption of nursing education and
entering the workforce faster. We also need to expand opportunities for career
changers and other non-traditional students by creating scheduling flexibility,
when possible, for students who balance school with competing responsibilities.

The profession needs to be accessible to students from all backgrounds and life
situations if we’re going to meet the state’s health care needs. Today’s
students often juggle school, work and family.

Alleviating the nursing shortage won’t be easy and requires educators, health
care institutions and community leaders to collaborate. The recently announced
Well-Being Advisory Board from The Florida Center for Nursing is an excellent
start — heightening focus on nurses’ emotional well-being as a key step to
strengthening our workforce. Community-based initiatives in our state will help
us sustain and grow the nursing profession for the long haul.

By working together to provide educational innovations, improve accessibility
and support our nursing workforce’s emotional and physical needs, we can ensure
that Florida’s patients benefit from a robust and thriving health system in the
years ahead.

---

![Tampa Nursing program faculty headshot Cam](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Tampa-Nursing-program-faculty-headshot-Cam.jpg)

_Cam Felismino, Arizona College of Nursing

Cam Felismino, Ph.D., is dean of nursing at Arizona College of Nursing in Tampa.
In addition to being an experienced educator, Felismino served as a bedside
nurse for 29 years.

**Categories:** Newsroom