LAKE NONA, Fla. – With Florida facing a critical shortage of nurses, the University of Central Florida celebrated the grand opening of its new Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion on Monday, a facility leaders say will help strengthen the state’s health care workforce.
The state-of-the-art building at UCF’s Academic Health Sciences Campus in Lake Nona features simulation labs that mirror real hospital settings and an expanded global simulation center. The new space allows UCF to graduate an additional 150 nurses each year.
“It is a game-changer,” said recent graduate Nadesha Phipps. “Just being able to see all the different forms of technology and innovation and how they’re using it to get our nurses prepared for what they’re going to experience in the field is phenomenal.”
The impact will be felt across Central Florida.
UCF has more than 17,000 nursing alumni, with nearly 60% living and working in Central Florida communities.
“Our community is growing. The need for nurses continues to grow,” said Cathy Stankiewicz, a UCF graduate who now works with AdventHealth. “It was never more pronounced than when we went through COVID. The ability to graduate more nurses so that we are fortifying our future nursing workforce is critical.”
Former College of Nursing Dean Dr. Mary Lou Sole said the pavilion comes at a crucial time.
“If you look around Central Florida, every other block is a new ER, a new hospital, a new facility,” Sole said. “We really are serving not just health care agencies, but the community.”
With fall classes underway, UCF nursing students are already training inside the pavilion. Leaders say these future “Knight nurses” will play a vital role in addressing Florida’s growing demand for health care.