Florida State University Launches AI Master’s Program for Nursing Students

• Florida State University now offers an AI master’s program focused on healthcare through its Master of Science in Nursing curriculum. 
• The concentration is intended to give future nurses a leg up on the ever-evolving technology and to understand how to safely and ethically implement it into practice. 
• The use of AI in healthcare has been a topic of discussion that prompted the American Nurses Association to issue a position statement in 2022. 

A Florida university is bringing artificial intelligence to the forefront before its nursing students even enter the healthcare workforce.

Florida State University’s (FSU) College of Nursing recently unveiled the AI Applications in Healthcare concentration for its Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program. The concentration is intended to give future nursing leaders a “thorough understanding of emerging technologies,” alongside guidance for the safe and ethical implementation of those technologies, a news release stated. 

The Evolution of an AI Master’s Program

Jing Wang, dean of the FSU College of Nursing, said in the release that as AI is “rapidly expanding” in every facet of life, healthcare isn’t immune.

“We are seeing hospitals and clinics begin to implement artificial intelligence, and our master’s program will create a new generation of nursing professionals ready to navigate and leverage these innovative skills and knowledge,” Wang stated.

Other universities, like Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, have similar programs. The institution’s Nursing AI in Training program is intended “develop nurse scientists who will use AI and associated computation sciences in research integrating biological and behavioral data to improve health outcomes.” 

RELATED COURSE: Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

The University of Louisville also offers an online master’s in artificial intelligence in medicine.

Florida Atlantic University’s Chrstine E. Lynn College of Nursing has a combined Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence program in its curriculum. However, this program splits nursing and AI education between the College of Nursing and College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Meanwhile, some institutions still are building toward a full-blown AI-related program but provide individual courses for students. University of North Carolina-Greensboro is among those.

Dr. Lindsay Draper, UNC-Greensboro clinical associate professor of nursing, said AI will be the “next Dr. Google.”

“This is a great learning opportunity for students to ask Dr. ChatGPT questions as if they are patients,” Draper said. “Then they can evaluate: Was it accurate? Was it not accurate? What was inaccurate? Was what it generated superficial, or did it give information that you would really need if you were a patient?”   

The Bigger Picture

The AI market in the United States alone is expected to reach nearly $300 billion by 2026, according to recent data from Exploding Topics. The industry-specific data shows healthcare has a $2.26 trillion baseline for using AI with $461 billion of additional AI contribution.

One recent study argues that health education is “poised for major shifts” in training because of AI. In addition to simulations and virtual learning models, educators anticipate AI will help “enhance the development of students’ clinical judgment” and could even serve as an “individualized tutor.”

However, as with any new technology, it is met with hesitation in relation to overreliance, algorithm bias, and privacy concerns.

The American Nurses Association issued a position statement in 2022 on the ethical use of AI in nursing practice.

“Nurses within their respective domains need to be aware of how AI impacts their nursing processes and their patient outcomes,” the ANA stated. “Within public health, research, and informatic nursing, an awareness of how population data or big data can easily overshadow minority health needs and perpetuate disparities is necessary. Each nurse must consider how AI is integrated into their practice and be cognizant of ways it can help and hurt both individual and population health outcomes.”

The Bottom Line

Florida State University recently announced it will offer a Master of Science in Nursing that focuses on artificial intelligence in healthcare. The program is part of the latest move from the academic side of the healthcare industry to bring AI to nurses and other practitioners before they graduate. The proliferation of AI in healthcare is projected to be a billion-dollar industry — an industry the American Nurses Association believes all nurses need to be aware of. 

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