A years-long effort to expand Pinellas County’s nursing workforce has reached incoming college freshmen, as the University of South Florida St. Petersburg launches its first traditional four-year nursing degree this fall.
At least 60 students have enrolled in the inaugural Freshman Nursing Pathway, which allows students to enter USF St. Petersburg directly from high school and pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing without first earning another degree. The program will ultimately provide up to 70 upper-division nursing seats each year.
The addition expands a nursing program that has operated at the St. Petersburg campus since 2019, but previously focused on students who already held bachelor’s degrees…