Local health system grows and invests in nursing workforce

Amid a national nursing shortage, the AdventHealth East Florida Division is taking action by expanding its nursing workforce, enhancing hands-on training programs, and reinforcing its commitment to exceptional patient care across its seven hospitals in Flagler, Lake, and Volusia counties.

In the past year, the division hired more than 800 new nurses and opened a second center for education and simulation to help nurses gain hands-on experience before they step into a hospital room.

“Nurses are at the heart of our care. When we support them, we’re also supporting the health of every family in our community,” said Michele Goeb-Burkett, senior vice president and chief nursing officer for the AdventHealth East Florida Division. “Our goal is to create a place where nurses have what they need to stay and grow, so they can keep showing up with compassion and expertise.”

Today, more than 4,000 nurses – including registered nurses, graduate nurses, and licensed practical nurses – care for patients across the AdventHealth East Florida Division’s nearly 1,500 inpatient beds, nine ERs, and 75 physician practice locations.

In 2024, the AdventHealth East Florida Division noted the following nursing milestones:

• Nurse tech program: Exceeded recruitment goal by 125%, giving students early clinical experience.
• Nurse residency program: Surpassed goal for new graduate nurse hiring.
• International hiring: Welcomed 93 globally trained nurses.
• New nurse hires: Added 816 registered nurses and graduate nurses to the team.
• Professional growth: 30% of registered nurses are enrolled in a program that supports advancement in clinical skills and leadership.
• Retention: 100% of graduate nurses in the residency program stayed on after one year.

“Retention isn’t about asking people to stay; it’s about creating a place where they want to stay,” said Goeb-Burkett. “When a nurse sees a future here, that stability shows up in the care they give. The same nurse caring for you today may be the same one here for you tomorrow, too.”

Nurse retention ensures continuity of care, stronger nurse-patient relationships, which leads to better outcomes and higher satisfaction.

AdventHealth’s intentional focus on retention is paying off.

While ICU nurse turnover nationally hovers around 20%, AdventHealth’s rate has dropped to 16.7% across the system and the East Florida Division is seeing even stronger results. For example, at AdventHealth Fish Memorial in Orange City, ICU nurse turnover has fallen from 7.2% last April to 5.5% this year.

Part of what’s helping nurses stay is the opportunity to keep learning and growing in a supportive environment. Hands-on training plays a big role in that.

To help nurses build confidence and sharpen skills, AdventHealth opened a new 10,000-square-foot education and simulation center in DeLand.

The facility includes five classrooms and two fully equipped simulation labs that mirror real patient rooms. Using lifelike manikins, live actors, and hospital-grade tools, nurses practice everything from clinical procedures to meaningful patient conversations.

An advanced camera system allows up to 50 participants to observe simulations in real time from nearby classrooms, helping teams learn together.

“Simulation training brings confidence to the bedside,” Goeb-Burkett said. “It gives nurses a safe space to learn, practice, and be ready for the moments that matter most.”

The new center builds on the success of the division’s first simulation center, which opened in Palm Coast in 2022, and has trained nearly 4,000 of clinicians across Flagler, northern Lake, southern Sumter and Volusia counties.

With this new simulation center opening, even more nurses will have the opportunity to improve their skills.

In addition to this new simulation center, AdventHealth East Florida Division is pleased to have its own university. AdventHealth University works closely with our hospitals for clinical training and offers nursing degrees from associate to doctoral level. In 2025, AdventHealth received dozens of applications for its new Racing to Excellence Nursing Scholarship to earn an Associate of Science in Nursing degree at AdventHealth University. These full-ride scholarships are awarded to 10 eligible high school seniors who reside in Volusia, Flagler, and Lake counties.

Looking ahead, AdventHealth is developing more ways to invest in the next generation of nurses locally, including creating dedicated resources for high school students, hosting hiring events for high-need specialties, and expanding programs to help current nurses advance into specialized positions.