Nova Southeastern University recently announced plans to expand its anesthesiologist assistant (AA) program.

Students in NSU’s anesthesiologist assistant program practice their skills in a classroom simulator.

The 27-month program began at the University in 2006 with 29 students. Recognizing the severe shortage of anesthesia providers in Florida and throughout the country, NSU added another class of 36 students this summer. The University plans to add a new class of approximately 35 students each year.

The program will graduate its first class in 2008. Because the field is in high demand, these students are all but guaranteed jobs that offer a starting salary between $120,000 and $150,000, according to Wagner.



Florida International University College of Medicine recently announced that it signed an affiliation agreement with Miami Children’s Hospital.

“We are delighted with the relationship we have developed with Miami Children’s Hospital over the past year,” said FIU College of Medicine Dean Dr. John Rock. “Our students will benefit from the expanded learning opportunities offered by one of the leading pediatric facilities in the world.”

The affiliation agreement between MCH and FIU adds an undergraduate dimension to the already existing educational program.

(l-r) Modesto A. Maidique, FIU President and Thomas M. Rozek, Miami Children’s Hospital President and CEO.

“Miami Children’s Hospital is a regional leader in fostering pediatric medical education. We are proud to affiliate with FIU to further advance educational opportunities to serve the needs of the children of this community,” said Thomas M. Rozek, President and CEO.

Miami Children’s Hospital joins a growing family of clinical partners selected by the FIU College of Medicine to help deliver innovative medical education. In the last few weeks the College of Medicine announced an operating agreement with Jackson Health Systems, which provides for FIU medical students and faculty to work at Jackson North Medical Center, and an affiliation agreement with Mount Sinai Medical Center.

The College of Medicine was approved in 2006 by the Florida Board of Governors and the Florida Legislature. The first class of medical students is expected to be admitted in the fall of 2009, pending provisional accreditation by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education.



Visionary nursing leaders in the education field at Barry University as well as practicing nurses at Baptist Health Systems are taking proactive steps to ensure the future of the career.

Due to local, national and international nursing shortages, patients, both present and future, are facing challenges in their care and recovery. To secure an adequate nursing workforce for the future, Barry’s Division of Nursing has teamed up with Baptist to start a new off-site, entry-level, bond nursing program option – this fall.

Acceptance to the new off-site program option requires admission to Barry’s Division of Nursing followed by an interview with Baptist. This fall, the first cohort of 30 students started the five semester program. These students are scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2010. They will also be eligible to sit the National Certification License Exam to become a registered nurse (NCLEX-RN) in June of that same year.

All nursing classes are held at Baptist. This new bond program option is run at the same standard and rigor as the main campus nursing programs and all students participating have access to all resources at Barry’s main campus.

Aside from the provision of classroom, lab and other resources, Baptist Health Systems also hired three faculty members dedicated to teach in this new program option, who meet the qualifications and have access to the University’s resources as faculty at the main campus enjoy. Both Division of Nursing and Baptist administrative teams meet regularly to discuss programmatic issues and clarify standards, policies and processes.

Baptist Healthcare System pays half of the students’ tuition in return for a three-year commitment to work within their hospitals and other out-patient and community facilities. During the program, the students work eight hours a week at a rate of $12 – $14 an hour as well as complete the majority of the program’s required clinical hours.

Many studies have linked a nurse’s educational level to the quality patients receive. As a result, the nursing profession is called to increase the pool of nurses with Bachelor of Science degrees.

However, nursing programs are turning students away thanks to a myriad of reasons including a shortage of qualified nursing faculty, classroom and clinical space. This partnership with Baptist Health System will help Barry’s Division of Nursing to increase its annual entry-level nursing program enrollment and thus, produce more BSN graduates. Baptist Healthcare Systems will obtain a fast and steady flow of committed and prepared nurses who will improve the quality of care received by patients and enhance positive outcomes. They will also gain financially thanks to the decrease in orientation time needed for new graduates who will already be familiar with the system and the inter professional team. This familiarity may also lessen the stress faced by new graduates helping to increasing job satisfaction and decreasing attrition rate.

Working together is not a new thing – over the past several years, Barry’s Division of Nursing has partnered with Baptist Health Systems regarding off-site Registered nurse, Bachelor of Science and Master of Science programs. However, this new bond program option has great possibilities to impact the present and future nursing shortage in a positive way. Although in its inception, the success of this new off-site program looks promising and provides a win-win situation for all. Plans are already underway for the second cohort of bonded, entry-level students to begin next fall.



The Graduate Nursing Program of Florida International University (FIU) College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS) has been selected to participate in a multi-center research project examining the utility of the Harvey® Cardiopulmonary Patient Simulator in educating advanced practice nurses in the skills of cardiovascular assessment.

FIU joins the advanced registered nurse practitioner programs from three other universities to participate in this study: Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Texas Tech University and the University of Pittsburgh.

FIU Nurse Anesthetist students conduct simulated clinical session with Harvey® Cardiopulmonary Patient Simulator.

In 2002, following a donation from the Miami Heart Research Institute through its Joan K. Stout Nursing Fund, FIU began utilizing a Harvey simulator in its undergraduate and graduate nursing curriculums.

Jeffrey Groom, PhD, CRNA, Director and Clinical Associate Professor of the FIU Anesthesiology Nursing Program and his colleague Lucie Dlugasch, MSN, ARNP, Clinical Assistant Professor, will be co-investigators on the project representing FIU.

“The increasing use of patient simulators in clinical instruction is one of the most significant developments in nursing education programs across the country,” explained Divina Grossman, PhD, RN, ARNP, FAAN, Dean of the FIU College of Nursing & Health Sciences. “We’re very proud that our Graduate Nursing Program has been selected as one of only four participants nationwide for this vital research project,” she said. “It is certainly a reflection on the strength of our faculty and programs at FIU.”



In an effort to improve the future of health care in Palm Beach County, St. Mary’s Medical Center is teaming up with the University of Vermont (UVM) College of Medicine in Burlington to give future physicians the opportunity to participate in clinical education alongside practicing doctors in our community.

As part of the program, which is set to begin as early as Spring 2010, UVM medical students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of clinical clerkship rotations at St. Mary’s. These programs are designed to achieve the educational competencies required by the Vermont Integrated Curriculum in place at UVM. This is the first formal medical student program to be hosted at St. Mary’s.

St. Mary’s is already one of the largest teaching and training facilities in South Florida for non-physician healthcare professionals such as nursing, pharmacy, radiology, respiratory and physical therapy students. The hospital teaches more than 900 students per year. The Vermont Integrated Curriculum will be taught by physicians on staff at the hospital, and will be the equivalent of the education and training medical students receive in all UVM affiliated clinical settings.

UVM’s innovative curriculum is supported by COMET (College of Medicine Education Tools), which is an award winning hybrid learning environment, including reusable learning objects, virtual reality models, streaming audio and video, as well as online exams and learning environment will help to foster the productivity and

The affiliation agreement builds on both St. Mary’s and UVM’s common goal of training medical students to provide quality care. Once the details of the clinical education program are established, UVM medical students will have the opportunity to complete portions of their second, third or fourth-year education at St. Mary’s under the supervision of their physician educators. Long term and additional benefits of this relationship could be the recruitment of local area college students to become medical students at UVM and recruitment of graduates of the UVM College of Medicine to practice in the greater West Palm Beach area.

This new affiliation will not only benefit St. Mary’s and UVM, but will also provide additional programs and services to the community.