PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Indian River State College announced plans Tuesday to double the size of its School of Nursing.
Right now, the program is capped at 300 students and is housed at the college's main campus in Fort Pierce.
Dr. Timothy Moore, president of Indian River State College, said the program will be moved to the college's Pruitt Campus in Port St. Lucie.
"Our program is in high demand and the biggest issue for us is we were having three or four applicants for every spot we had open," said Moore. "We wanted to make sure we created more spaces, more seats, more opportunities for these students — these highly qualified students, highly motivated students — to come to our program and receive the education they desire."
A study from the Florida Hospital Association predicts that by 2035, Florida will be short nearly 60,000 nurses.
Moore said 99% of IRSC nursing graduates are hired upon graduation.
The $13 million expansion comes at the expense of a private donation from Mackenzie Scott.
Moore said the new classrooms will be equipped with simulated clinical settings to help prepare students with the technical training that comes with being a nurse.
Construction for the new facility is set to begin in January and be completed by the fall of 2023.