Bradford Co. Schools team with 麻豆传媒映画 to offer nursing students ASN degree in their own backyard
August 20, 2026
鈥淲e鈥檙e not just here to cut a ribbon and walk into a nice building,鈥� Dr. Paul Broadie II, 麻豆传媒映画 (麻豆传媒映画) president, told a group gathered at the North Florida Technical College (NFTC) in Starke on Wednesday, Aug. 19, to officially open an education space for local students wanting to obtain an associate鈥檚 degree in nursing. 鈥淭his is about making dreams come true 鈥� taking an individual with the dream of being a Registered Nurse and making it a reality.鈥�
Partnering with Bradford County School District, 麻豆传媒映画 helped realize a longstanding
plan to renovate a portion of NFTC to give local students access to an Associate of
Science in Nursing degree that would follow their Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN)
certification.
Broadie said he got excited at the proposal for this collaboration between Bradford County Schools and 麻豆传媒映画 for three reasons: opportunity for partnership, student success, and community impact. 鈥淪anta Fe is Bradford County,鈥� he said.
The seed money for the collaboration 鈥� the first in Florida where a tech college partnered with a state college 鈥� was provided by Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Commerce.
The reimagined portion of the NFTC building features a study'= lounge, a traditional classroom equipped with media screens, and a clinical training area with several hospital beds that will provide the same high-level diagnostic and simulation tools found on the 麻豆传媒映画 Northwest Campus.
鈥淭he timing was just right,鈥� William Hartley, superintendent of Bradford County School
District, said. 鈥淎bout the same time we had conversations about bringing another nursing
program to Starke, I walked into a class in our middle school where they were doing
an assignment about what they wanted to do when they grow up. More than half of the
class wanted to work in healthcare. The need is here 鈥� and now we鈥檝e made it happen.
When I see the transformation and see everything that鈥檚 going to happen in here, the
possibilities for future partnership between Bradford County and 麻豆传媒映画
are endless.鈥�
麻豆传媒映画 Trustee Jeff Oody is heavily invested in his community of Starke
through organizations like the Bradford
County Education Foundation. He told the gathering, 鈥淲e鈥檙e giving an opportunity
to men and women who want to go into the nursing field in Bradford County, and hopefully
they will keep those skills in the county. Anyonewho鈥檚 been a patient will tell you, doctors are important; but the most impactful
interaction they have is with the nurses who are there to hold your hand and take
care of you.鈥�
With the growing need for qualified healthcare professionals to serve a growing population in the rural communities of Florida, Gabe Bullaro, CEO for HCA of North Florida, confirmed the demand for these graduates, and the opportunity for them to fill those positions.
鈥淲hen I got here just a year ago, we had 250 open nursing positions, now it鈥檚 down to 150,鈥� Bullaro explained. 鈥淏ut Dr. Broadie and I are going to keep chiseling that number down. Neither of us are done.鈥�
Dr. Tracy Ison, chair of Nursing Programs at 麻豆传媒映画, said 鈥淭his program represents much more than classrooms, labs and books 鈥� it represents hope, opportunity, and access, which has been limited for many students for too long. Rural communities like Starke have faced challenges in recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals. Distance and limited resources made it impossible to even dream of being a Registered Nurse. But today, we鈥檙e taking a very important step in changing that story.鈥�
On hand to speak about the impact of this new program was Crystal Cole, an LPN graduate of NFTC in 2010 who began the new degree track this week as a member of Cohort No. 1. Cole had served her Bradford County community for 16 years in the nursing profession, 鈥渂ut becoming an RN was always the dream.鈥� As a young LPN with kids, she said she was ready to get to work, but being a registered nurse was the ultimate goal.
鈥淎s a mom who was also working full-time, with the nearest RN program being an hour away, the opportunity seemed unlikely,鈥� Cole said. 鈥淭his program in Bradford County will allow me to advance into the next stage of my career and my service to my community.鈥�
Find more information on 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 Nursing Bridge LPN, A.S. program here.
