Strengthening the Health Care Workforce with BayCare

Partnerships among hospitals and the community, such as the partnership between St. Petersburg College (SPC) and BayCare Health System Inc., have played a major role in the stabilization of the state’s nursing workforce, as vacancy and turnover rates for nurses and health care workers have drastically improved.

SPC and BayCare share a long history of partnership to address the demand for nurses and create a strong pipeline of highly qualified health care professionals.

With a mission to provide high-quality, compassionate care to all they serve, BayCare is a not-for-profit health care system with 16 hospitals and hundreds of locations throughout the Tampa Bay and Central Florida regions. As one of the largest employers in the area with more than 33,000 team members, BayCare partners with SPC on an array of programs and initiatives to recruit, train and retain nurses and other health related positions.

“BayCare’s partnership with SPC has truly been very inspiring,” said Jackie Munro, Vice President of Nursing Systems and Resources at BayCare. “The ability to work together to identify innovative solutions to our community workforce challenges has helped mitigate our workforce needs.”

Training the next generation of nurses

While shortages have vastly improved, there is still a high demand for health care professionals to fill thousands of jobs. According to Florida Commerce, there are nearly 14,000 annual openings for registered nurses in the state.

With an average of nearly 300 graduates per year in the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program, SPC boasts a 97% job placement rate for graduates, many of whom go to work at BayCare hospitals throughout the region.

Among BayCare’s incentives for employees to upskill is the RN Partnership Program with SPC, which allows employees the opportunity to earn an ASN while continuing to work and earn income, with tuition paid by BayCare. To date, the program has had 1,100 BayCare team members graduate. Those who complete their ASN and wish to continue their education can transfer seamlessly to SPC’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.

“SPC is an extraordinary education institution and our BayCare team members and community benefit from the quality education provided,” Munro said.

BayCare helps prepare the next generation of nurses by providing clinical rotations and preceptorships at BayCare hospitals throughout the region, including Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, providing vital hands-on experience for SPC students.

“BayCare and SPC’s College of Nursing have had an exceptional and enduring partnership for many years. BayCare nurtures academic excellence in many ways, especially through clinical placements and contributed faculty members in the associate in nursing degree program,” said Dr. Jean Lee, Dean of SPC’s College of Nursing.

In 2024, approximately 1,000 SPC students completed clinical rotations at BayCare, totaling over 18,000 clinical hours.

Addressing demand for health care professionals

In addition to nursing, SPC provides training for myriad other health care professions from medical assistants to radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, surgical technicians and more, all of which fuel the pipeline of talent for health care careers.

BayCare was instrumental in developing SPC’s Associate in in Surgical Services program, which was created in direct response to industry demand for surgical technicians. The partnership is a model for how companies can contribute to the development of academic programs to fill the gap for high demand jobs.

“BayCare has had continuous representation on the College of Nursing advisory committee, which is an important mechanism for collaboration to ensure our nursing graduates meet industry expectations,” said Lee.

Through advisory meetings, SPC’s academic leadership meets with nurse leaders from throughout the community, who share health care trends which help inform curriculum updates.

“Both BayCare and SPC strive to meet the needs of the communities we serve,” said Munro. “Collaboration on the development and expansion of health care education programs helps meet the workforce needs of our community.”

Giving back

BayCare’s dedication to SPC students and programs goes beyond training and job placement. BayCare regularly participates in networking and hiring events, donates supplies for SPC’s health education programs, and contributes financial support through the SPC Foundation, including event sponsorships for SPC Day, an annual fundraising event, and SPC’s nurse pinning ceremony, a traditional milestone for nurse graduates.

Munro also serves on the board of the SPC Foundation, something that speaks to her on both a personal and professional level.

“I’m a very proud alum of SPC. I appreciate the mentorship of the faculty who inspired me to grow and develop further in my nursing journey,” said Munro, who has been with BayCare for 37 years. “As an alum, it’s important to share my time and expertise with the College to grow our future workforce.”

She says that being involved with SPC on multiple levels contributes to the success of both organizations and serves as a model for how business and education can work together to uplift the community.

“I think it’s important for academia and practice to partner and collaborate on mitigating community workforce challenges. BayCare wants to be part of the solution and values the partnership developed with SPC to grow our community’s workforce,” said Munro. “Collaborating, and sharing results and successes, gives us an opportunity to learn and grow from each other.”