VITAS and Miami Dade College partner to shape the next generation of compassionate nurses

VITAS and Miami Dade College partner to shape the next generation of compassionate nurses 
South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report; by Daniel Casciato; 11/1/25 
For Miami Dade College (MDC) nursing students Khadijah Norelus and Shanel Cantave, the decision to pursue nursing came from deeply personal experiences. Shanel was inspired after nearly losing her father to a hemorrhagic stroke. Khadijah’s calling was born when she witnessed the care and compassion a hospice nurse gave her cousin in his final moments. Today, both women are VITAS Scholars—recipients of the Miami Dade College LPN Scholarship supported by hospice provider VITAS Healthcare—and represent the next generation of caregivers preparing to serve South Florida’s communities amid a national nursing shortage.