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A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to nursing education for military 2
combat medics; providing a short title; amending s. 3
464.0195, F.S.; revising a primary goal of the Florida 4
Center for Nursing to provide that development of a 5
statewide plan for nursing manpower must includ e the 6
encouragement and coordination of the development of 7
partnerships with hospitals which provide 8
opportunities for nursing students to obtain clinical 9
experience; amending s. 1004.096, F.S.; defining the 10
term "accredited program"; requiring that the 11
Articulation Coordinating Committee convene a 12
workgroup to establish a process for determining 13
postsecondary course equivalencies and the minimum 14
postsecondary credit or career education clock hours 15
that must be awarded in accredited nursing education 16
programs for military training and education required 17
for service in specified positions; providing for the 18
composition of and the provision of administrative 19
support to the workgroup; requiring that the workgroup 20
ensure that the award of credit for military tra ining 21
and education does not impair a nursing education 22
program's ability to comply with requirements relating 23
to the approval of nursing education programs; 24
requiring the workgroup to provide, by a specified 25
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date, recommendations regarding the determinati on 26
process to the Board of Governors and State Board of 27
Education for approval; requiring that, upon approval 28
of the recommendations, the Articulation Coordinating 29
Committee facilitate the review of military training 30
and education received by individuals w ho served in 31
specified positions and the determination of minimum 32
postsecondary credit or career education clock hours 33
awarded for specified military training and education; 34
requiring that the Articulation Coordinating 35
Committee, within a specified timefra me and annually 36
thereafter, approve a prioritized list of 37
postsecondary course equivalencies and the minimum 38
postsecondary credit or career education clock hours 39
that must be awarded for such training and education; 40
requiring the Board of Governors and Sta te Board of 41
Education to adopt the prioritized list; requiring 42
that the minimum postsecondary credit or career 43
education clock hours be delineated in a required 44
statewide articulation agreement; requiring state 45
universities, Florida College System institut ions, and 46
career centers to award postsecondary credit or career 47
education clock hours in nursing education programs 48
based on the prioritized list; authorizing the award 49
of additional postsecondary credit or career education 50
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clock hours; providing that suc h postsecondary credit 51
or career education clock hours are transferable; 52
providing an effective date. 53
54
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 55
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Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Pathway for 57
Military Combat Medics Act." 58
Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 59
464.0195, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 60
464.0195 Florida Center for Nursing; goals. — 61
(2) The primary goals for the center shall be to: 62
(a) Develop a strategic statewide plan for nursing 63
manpower in this state by: 64
1. Conducting a statistically valid biennial data -driven 65
gap analysis of the supply and demand of the health care 66
workforce. Demand must align with the Labor Market Estimating 67
Conference created in s. 216.136. The center shall: 68
a. Establish and maintain a database on nursing supply and 69
demand in the state, to include current supply and demand. 70
b. Analyze the current and future supply and demand in the 71
state and the impact of this state's participation in the Nurse 72
Licensure Compact under s. 464.0095. 73
2. Developing recommendations to increase nurse faculty 74
and clinical preceptors, support nurse faculty development, and 75
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promote advanced nurse education. 76
3. Developing best practices in the academic preparation 77
and continuing education needs of qualified nurse educators, 78
nurse faculty, and clinical preceptors. 79
4. Collecting data on nurse faculty, employment, 80
distribution, and retention. 81
5. Piloting innovative projects to support the 82
recruitment, development, and retention of qualified nurse 83
faculty and clinical preceptors. 84
6. Encouraging and coordinating the development of 85
academic-practice partnerships , including partnerships with 86
hospitals which provide opportunities for nursing students to 87
obtain clinical experience, to support nurse faculty employment 88
and advancement. 89
7. Developing distance learning infrastructure for nursing 90
education and advancing faculty competencies in the pedagogy of 91
teaching and the evidence -based use of technology, simulation, 92
and distance learning techniques. 93
Section 3. Subsection (3) is added to section 1004.096, 94
Florida Statutes, to read: 95
1004.096 Postsecondary credit for military training and 96
education courses.— 97
(3)(a) For purposes of this subsection, the term 98
"accredited program" has the same meaning as in s. 464.003. 99
(b) By July 15, 2023, the Articulation Coordinating 100
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Committee shall convene a workgroup that is responsible for 101
establishing a process for determining postsecondary course 102
equivalencies and the minimum postsecondar y credit or career 103
education clock hours that must be awarded in an accredited 104
program for military training and education required for service 105
as an Army Combat Medic Specialist, a Navy or Fleet Marine Force 106
Hospital Corpsman, an Air Force or Space Force Aerospace Medical 107
Service Technician, or a Coast Guard Health Services Technician. 108
1. The composition of the workgroup and the provision of 109
administrative support to the workgroup must be as provided in 110
paragraphs (2)(a) and (b). The workgroup shall ensu re that the 111
award of postsecondary credit or career education clock hours 112
does not impair an accredited program's ability to comply with 113
the requirements identified in s. 464.019. 114
2. The workgroup shall provide its recommendations 115
regarding the process f or awarding postsecondary credit or 116
career education clock hours to the Board of Governors and the 117
State Board of Education by December 1, 2023, for approval at 118
the next meeting of each board to allow for adequate public 119
notice. 120
3.a. Upon approval of the workgroup's recommendations by 121
the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education, the 122
Articulation Coordinating Committee shall facilitate the review 123
of the military training and education received by individuals 124
who served as an Army Combat Medic S pecialist, a Navy or Fleet 125
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Marine Force Hospital Corpsman, an Air Force or Space Force 126
Aerospace Medical Service Technician, or a Coast Guard Health 127
Services Technician for postsecondary course equivalencies and 128
the minimum postsecondary credit or career e ducation clock hours 129
that must be awarded for that training and education. 130
b. Within 1 year after such approval, the Articulation 131
Coordinating Committee shall approve a prioritized list of 132
postsecondary course equivalencies, and the minimum 133
postsecondary credit or career education clock hours that must 134
be awarded in an accredited program for such military training 135
and education. The list must be updated annually. The Board of 136
Governors and the State Board of Education shall adopt the list 137
approved by the Articulation Coordinating Committee at their 138
next respective meetings. For the purpose of statewide 139
application, postsecondary course equivalencies and the minimum 140
postsecondary credit or career education clock hours that must 141
be awarded in an accredited p rogram for such military training 142
and education must be delineated by the State Board of Education 143
and the Board of Governors in the statewide articulation 144
agreement required by s. 1007.23(1). 145
4. State universities, Florida College System 146
institutions, and career centers shall award postsecondary 147
credit or career education clock hours for such military 148
training and education based on the list adopted pursuant to 149
sub-subparagraph 3.b. if the credit or career education clock 150
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hours are applicable toward the student's degree or certificate 151
and may award additional postsecondary credit or career 152
education clock hours as appropriate. Postsecondary credit or 153
career education clock hours awarded under this subsection are 154
transferable from one state university, Flo rida College System 155
institution, or career center to another. 156
Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. 157