The inaugural class of the NRI Institute of Health Sciences, a new nursing school that opened in the Royal Plaza shopping center last year, held its graduation ceremony Friday, Aug. 15 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center.
Dan Splain, who owns the school with his wife, Beth Stolkowski, said 10 candidates graduated from the practical nurse program. Each student received a practical nursing diploma and will be eligible to take the state exam to become a licensed practical nurse. Two students have already taken and passed the exam, Splain said.
Splain noted that there is a tremendous shortage of nurses in the United States and around the world. “There is a projected shortage in this country of almost a million nurses by the year 2020,” he said. “The Florida Board of Nursing has done a study. They predict a shortage of 50,000 nurses just here in Florida.”
The school currently has about 25 nursing students and 20 ultrasound students.
“Next year, we’re actually growing our space to make more room to accommodate more students,” Splain said. “We’re hoping that we’ll have at least 50 nursing students and at least 40 ultrasound students.”
The school, located in the former CVS location on Royal Palm Beach Blvd., offers vocational training for nurses, home health aides and nursing assistants.
“We are now in the process of filing an associate’s degree in nursing program, which is a registered nurse (RN) program,” Splain added, noting that a bachelor’s degree program is also in the works.
Earlier this year, Royal Palm Beach scholarship recipient Eridania Rodriquez took the state exam and passed.
