PAM Health expands partnership with USF Health College of Nursing at the Sarasota-Manatee Campus through a new scholarship program

SARASOTA, Fla. (April 12, 2023) – Accelerated second-degree students at the University of South Florida College of Nursing Sarasota-Manatee campus have the opportunity to have tuition and fees paid thanks to a new partnership with PAM Health, which operates long-term acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, and home health services in Sarasota and across multiple states in the United States.

The Accelerated Second-Degree pathway offers a nursing degree through a four-semester/16-month program and is designed for students who already have a bachelor’s degree. The Accelerated Second Degree can be the ideal entry into nursing practice, which is why PAM Health – with locations in Sarasota, Venice, and across the country – is committed to supporting these students.

The scholarship includes tuition and fees for the entire program. Students who apply must make a commitment to spend two years of employment at PAM Health after graduation. The goal is to bridge the academic-practice gap by blending on-the-job training for student nurses with a structured transition program to the role of the professional nurse.

Photo: Emily Gard and Nick Fazzolari share the new PAM Health Scholarship opportunity with Accelerated Second-Degree nursing students at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus.

“Nurses make a tremendous difference in the lives of others and their own,” said Anthony Misitano, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of PAM Health. “This accelerated program will provide a unique opportunity to expedite entering the nursing profession. Once that door opens, the sky is the limit. At PAM Health, our nurses find their jobs to be a calling. The work is active and exciting. We offer growth and advancement opportunities and highly competitive wages.  This partnership with USF will enable motivated students to pursue their dream of becoming a nurse, and we will welcome them to the PAM Health family.”

“Partnerships like this reinforce the nursing pipeline, said Usha Menon, dean of the USF Health College of Nursing and senior associate vice president for USF Health. “The PAM Health Scholarship will allow our students to focus on their studies in this very targeted pathway to professional practice as a nurse.”

The USF Sarasota-Manatee campus welcomed its first Accelerated Second-Degree nursing cohort in spring 2020 with 30 students and has more than tripled its enrollment with 110 students in the spring 2023 cohort.

“With consolidation, USF is adding many new programs on the Sarasota-Manatee campus, including the Accelerated Second-Degree nursing program, that provide opportunities for our students to study and work in our local community,” said Karen Holbrook, regional chancellor for the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus.