First row (from left to right): Austin Williamson, Alisha Bodiford, Ashley Anderson, Lronjolyce King, Cynthia Stanley, Desiree Terrell, Brittany Walters, Melissa Coleman
Eight students were recognized during the August 5th Practical Nursing pinning ceremony held at Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC). The ceremony commemorates the students’ successful completion of their nursing coursework and clinical rotations. Students who are graduating at the end of the Summer 2015 Semester from the former Moultrie Technical College and Southwest Georgia Technical College will officially be graduates of those institutions. After the summer semester all students will be graduates of SRTC.
“These are eight amazing Practical Nursing students that comprised the final class of graduates from Southwest Georgia Technical College. They have shined not only in the classroom, but in the clinical setting as well. This group accomplished an intensely difficult task the week before they were pinned, with all 8 students making a 91% or better on their exit exam. Each was successful in exiting the Practical Nursing Program on the first of two attempts. I am very proud of these students and I have no doubt they will be caring and compassionate nurses in our community,” commented Magan Swilley, Practical Nursing Director for SRTC.
The pinning ceremony is a rite passage into the nursing profession, during which each student received a pin and a small lamp. The pin is used to remind students of their purpose to serve the sick and infirmed. The lamp portion of the ceremony serves as a tribute to Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern-day nursing. In the 1800s Nightingale was known as the ‘lady with the lamp’ tending to the sick while carrying a lamp to light the way. At the ceremony, students also recited the Nightingale pledge stating their dedication to upholding the standards of nursing.
The students receiving pins were: Ashley Anderson of Quitman, Alisha Bodiford of Moultrie, Melissa Coleman of Tifton, Lronjolyce King of Moultrie, Cynthia Stanley of Moultrie, Desiree Terrell of Hartsfield, Brittany Walters of Pavo, and Austin Williamson of Moultrie.
The Practical Nursing program is a 5 semester diploma program designed to prepare students to write the NCLEX-PN for licensure as practical nurses. The program prepares graduates to give competent nursing care. This is done through a selected number of academic and occupational courses providing a variety of techniques and materials necessary to assist the student in acquiring the needed knowledge and skills to give competent care. A variety of clinical experiences is planned so that theory and practice are integrated under the guidance of the clinical instructor.
For more information on the Practical Nursing program at SRTC, please contact Magan Swilley at (229) 227-2903 or by email at mswilley@southernregional.edu.
SRTC offers over 155 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.