Tammy Bryant, of Thomasville, Georgia, has devoted her career to caring for others. She spent 11 years as a labor and delivery nurse in Atlanta before she began her teaching career with the practical nursing program at the former Southwest Georgia Technical College in 1994. In education, she found more opportunity to nurture the people around her. “I enjoy touching the lives of others. There is no better reward than bringing someone in who knows nothing about the nursing program, mentoring them, watching them learn and grow, and then being able to pin them at the end. That is the true joy of this job.” She is currently the program chair of the Associate of Science in Nursing program at Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC), which is offered on the Moultrie, Tifton, and Thomasville campuses of SRTC.
Mrs. Bryant is a two-time Rick Perkins Award nominee as an instructor with the nursing program at Southern Regional Technical College. She was first nominated in 2007, going all the way to the state level that year. She has been nominated again this year, making her SRTC’s Teacher of the Year for 2017. The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction honors the Technical College System of Georgia’s most outstanding instructors. The award has been an ongoing statewide event since 1991 and is designed to recognize technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields. Mrs. Bryant has already done well at the district level, and she moves on to the next level of competition in Atlanta, the weekend of April 11th. True to her nature, she’s quick to point out that the recognition is not a motivator for doing what she does. “I don’t do this for an award. I do it because I love technical education. I was a product of technical education.” Technical education influenced her life early on. She was able to graduate from high school with a head start in her education and her career, earning her CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) certification before graduating. Later in her career, Bryant earned two more certifications from technical colleges, including one that helped her to write SRTC’s first degree and certificate programs in gerontology.
Balancing a busy life with her husband of 24 years, raising their daughter, and getting involved in numerous community service projects, Tammy still found time to further her education and career. While working, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and completed her Master of Nursing degree in 2009. As a steadfast advocate of continuing education, Tammy believes that SRTC meets the needs of students, from the money and time saving leg-up that the Move On When Ready program provides high-schoolers, to affordable tuition rates, to the practicality of the education that can be earned at SRTC. “Technical education provides students with a hands-on skill, which is the most important thing. They graduate fully prepared to begin their careers. We have a 100% job placement rate.”
The pride that radiates from her as she speaks about the program that she has helped to build for the past 23 years is palpable. She talks of the 10-bed virtual hospital and simulation lab on the Thomasville campus, the 1-10 instructor to student ratio that the classes bring to their hands-on clinical training at area hospitals, and the many innovative programs and opportunities in place that are designed to help students succeed. Mostly, however, she talks about her love of the students. “I can tell when they are struggling or having a bad day. I like to quote Winnie The Pooh to them on those days, because I really believe this about our students: ‘You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.’”
SRTC offers over 148 degree, diploma, and certificate programs that are designed to get you quickly into your desired career, and 27 general education courses that transfer to the University System of Georgia institutions and 19 private colleges and universities in Georgia. SRTC has instructional sites located in Ashburn, Cairo, Camilla, Moultrie, Thomasville, Tifton, and Sylvester for the convenience of our students. The College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. For the most up-to-date information on registration, class dates, and program offerings, log on to www.southernregional.edu or call (888) 205 – 3449.
Summer Semester 2017 Begins May 18th. Don’t wait, enroll today!