USF opens expanded College of Nursing facility
TAMPA — The University of South Florida has opened a newly expanded USF Health College of Nursing, an action aimed at enhancing training for nursing students and increasing the number of nurses.
The three-story, 42,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility will allow USF to train more nurses while giving students superior clinical training and hands-on learning opportunities. The College of Nursing has committed to graduating an additional 500 undergraduate students by 2028 and is on track to exceed that goal, officials said in a press release.
The $33 million facility features the advanced Tampa General Hospital Nursing Simulation Center, modern clinical training spaces, flexible learning labs, study areas and adaptable classrooms. Its second floor includes a premier classroom that can accommodate up to 160 students or be divided into two 80-person rooms, along with a multipurpose room, study spaces and an additional lobby area for students and faculty. The third floor, which will house research labs, is expected to be completed in January 2027.
A centerpiece of the expansion is the Tampa General Hospital Nursing Simulation Center, a hub for immersive clinical education created as part of a generous $4.4 million investment from Tampa General Hospital. Anchoring the facility’s first floor, the center houses 12 clinical examination rooms, six high-fidelity simulation rooms, six control rooms, four simulation learning labs, six debriefing classrooms and a multipurpose learning lab. In those spaces, students will develop and refine the real-world skills they will need as nurses — such as taking vital signs, communicating with patients, administering medications and identifying sepsis — in a controlled learning environment before they enter clinical settings.
This fall, the college will begin offering a new four-year Freshman Nursing Pathway degree program on the USF St. Petersburg campus, allowing as many as 85 students each year to start preparations for a nursing career immediately upon entering their college career.
USF receives $5 million gift to name Tyson-Martin Eye Institute
TAMPA — The University of South Florida has received a $5 million gift to name the USF Health Tyson-Martin Eye Institute at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.
The gift from USF alums Caroline Sue “Suzi” Martin and her son, Dr. Farrell “Toby” Tyson, will also name future satellite clinics, establish the Tyson-Martin Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology and enhance the Ophthalmology Medicine Fund.
The investment also creates the Dr. Suzi Martin Endowed Ophthalmic Technician Training Program, which will prepare allied eye care professionals who work alongside ophthalmologists to conduct patient workups, diagnostic testing, clinical documentation and other aspects of care. The program aims to address the limited supply of ophthalmic technicians while bolstering the eye care workforce throughout the state and region.
“Ophthalmology is a family passion,” said Martin, who became both a certified ophthalmic assistant and a certified ophthalmic surgical assistant after completing her doctorate at USF. “Your ophthalmology practice is only as good as your least competent allied health staff.”
The late Dr. Benjamin Martin, husband of Suzi Martin and father of Tyson, became one of the Department of Ophthalmology’s first assistant clinical professors during the medical school’s earliest years. Then a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and chief of ophthalmology and surgical services at MacDill Air Force Base, he participated in weekly grand rounds at USF from 1971 until relocating to the Fort Myers area in 1980.
Bay Pines offers vets free pneumonia vaccines
ST. PETERSBURG — The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System is offering free pneumonia vaccines to all eligible veterans on Aug. 28 and 31 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Walk-ins are welcome at the waiting area on the first floor of building 100, outside of MOD D. Veterans will be evaluated by Bay Pines clinicians, and vaccines will be administered to those who are eligible.
Allegiant announces spring service to Boston from PIE
Allegiant Travel Company has added nine new nonstop routes, with seven of them tailored to meet peak spring travel demand during key local travel periods, including spring breaks.
The new route between Boston, Massachusetts, via Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and St. Pete-Clearwater, Florida via St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) will begin Feb. 13, 2027, and operate through April 24, 2027.
Tickets for all newly announced routes are now available. Flight days, times and the lowest fares can be found at Allegiant.com.