From Matanzas High School to modern medicine

When Bianca Iglesias decided to become a nurse practitioner, her goal was simple: to care for people the way she saw her grandfather cared for during his final days.

“I watched my grandfather go through a tough diagnosis,” she said. “Even in his last days, I saw so much love and compassion from the people who cared for him. I realized I wanted to be that person for someone else.”

A graduate of Matanzas High School’s Class of 2014, Iglesias now works at AdventHealth Palm Coast, serving the same area where she grew up. As of the beginning of 2026, she will be working as a woman’s health nurse practitioner.

She began her career with AdventHealth in 2016, earning her Registered Nurse (RN) in 2018 and Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) degrees with help from the organization’s tuition assistance program.

That support, she said, was more than financial. Leaders encouraged her through long nights of coursework, and experienced clinicians answered her questions during shifts.

“It definitely helps coming from a smaller hospital. Those connections, you just can’t find them in larger facilities,” Iglesias said. “Without those relationships, I don’t know if I’d be so far into my career where I am now.”

Those relationships helped her bridge the transition from nursing to advanced practice.

“A lot of the clinicians were willing to take me under their wing and teach me,” she said. “Even on the floor now, when I ask questions, they’re always willing to help and guide. It makes all the difference.”

Across the nation, demand for nurse practitioners and physician assistants is surging as health systems work to expand access to care.

That trend is especially evident in Florida, where rapid population growth and physician retirements are widening the care gap. Health systems, like AdventHealth, are responding by investing in education pipelines, team-based care models, and tuition support programs that allow nurses to advance their careers without leaving the region.

Iglesias is among hundreds of team members who’ve pursued advanced education through AdventHealth’s tuition program — part of a broader effort to grow a skilled, local workforce and expand access to care in Flagler and Volusia counties.

In AdventHealth’s East Florida Division, this focus has become a cornerstone of workforce strategy, combining tuition assistance, mentorship, and partnerships with local schools to help clinicians build their future — and stay rooted in the communities they serve.

With more than 11,000 team members in the East Florida Division, including over 200 advanced practice providers across 18 specialties, AdventHealth is one of the region’s largest employers — and stories like Iglesias’s show how that can translate into real opportunities for local residents to build lifelong careers in health care.

“Bianca’s dedication to learning and serving our community truly reflects the heart of AdventHealth,” said Kristen Sutton, chief nursing officer for AdventHealth’s Flagler and St. Johns market. “Her story shows the impact of investing in our people and helping them grow right here at home, where their compassion and connection make the greatest difference.”

For Iglesias, nursing has always been about connection — to her patients, her team, and her hometown. Caring for others, she said, also means feeling supported herself through the education and encouragement she’s received along the way.

“When I think about my career, I think about the people,” she said. “That’s what keeps me learning and showing up every day.”