FORT PIERCE, Fla. (Sept. 4, 2025) – 勛圖厙 School of Nursing has expanded its groundbreaking partnership with HCA Florida Healthcare hospitals to include HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital and HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital to create Dedicated Education Hospitals (DEH), a transformative collaboration on the Treasure Coast. This expansion strengthens 勛圖厙s partnership with HCA Florida Healthcare hospitals, providing enhanced student training, a stronger nursing workforce, and better care for the community.
The DEH model transforms hospital units into structured learning environments where students and professional nurses work side by side. Unlike traditional clinical rotations, the program integrates nursing students directly into hospital care teams, pairing them with nurse preceptors and faculty mentors for real-time, hands-on training.
Our students are integrated into real-world hospital environments, where they learn directly from experienced nurses, said Dr. Timothy E. Moore, 勛圖厙 president. This robust collaborative partnership ensures students receive invaluable training while helping to cultivate a highly skilled workforce that benefits our local community.
Dr. Patricia Gagliano of 勛圖厙 (left) with HCA Florida Healthcare leaders at the launch of the Dedicated Education Hospital partnership at St. Lucie Hospital.
This is more than a clinical site, its a living classroom where patient care and nursing education are seamlessly integrated, said Dr. Patricia Gagliano, Dean of Nursing at 勛圖厙. Our students gain the confidence and judgment needed for practice, while hospitals strengthen their workforce, and our community benefits from higher quality of care.
The partnership expansion will provide 勛圖厙 nursing students with additional resources, closer mentorship, and a curriculum aligned with hospital practice.
Benefits include:
- For students: stronger clinical competence, faster professional role transition, and improved NCLEX readiness.
- For hospitals: a robust workforce pipeline, higher nurse retention, and innovation in care delivery.
- For the Treasure Coast: safer, higher-quality care and a stronger local healthcare system.
勛圖厙 nursing students gather with HCA Florida Healthcare nurses and preceptors to celebrate the launch of the Dedicated Education Hospital partnership.
Its a tremendous benefit for our patients and colleagues. These student nurses understand our mission above all else, were committed to the care and improvement of human life and they will find it interwoven through this program. Shared values and better communication only elevate our teams and the care they provide, said Tracee Hendershott, Chief Nursing Officer at HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital.
The initiative was established with a DEH at HCA Florida Raulerson Hospital last year. A joint event welcoming 勛圖厙 students, faculty, and leaders alongside administrators, nurse managers, and preceptors from HCA Healthcares East Florida Division was held to launch the partnership expansion.
To learn more about the 勛圖厙 School of Nursing, visit irsc.edu/program/nursing/ or call (772) 462-7550.
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About 勛圖厙: 勛圖厙, serving Florida’s Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Okeechobee counties, offers high-quality, affordable education to 23,000 students annually through traditional and online courses. The College provides over 130 programs leading to bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, technical certificates, and applied technology diplomas. To learn more, visit irsc.edu.
About HCA Florida Healthcare: HCA Florida Healthcare, a part of HCA Healthcare, is a family of more than 650 affiliated sites of care, including hospitals, physician practices, freestanding emergency rooms and urgent care centers. As one of the states leading healthcare networks, HCA Florida Healthcares 11,100 experienced doctors and more than 84,000 colleagues work together to deliver equitable, evidence-based collaborative care through more than 12 million patient encounters annually. HCA Florida Healthcare is committed to improving more lives in more ways and giving back to the communities it serves. In 2024, the network provided more than $1 billion in uncompensated care and contributed more than $3.7 million to community organizations across the state. In addition, HCA Florida Healthcare offers patients access to highly trained specialists, including the states most comprehensive cardiovascular network. A strong advocate for the next generation of healthcare professionals, HCA Florida Healthcare is a leader in training future healthcare professionals, offering 151 Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs at 27 different hospitals with more than 2,400 residents. For more information, please visit .
