Recent graduates from Southern Regional Technical College’s (SRTC) Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program in Tifton reported 100% passage on their National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). The NCLEX exam is a standardized exam that each state board of nursing uses to determine whether or not a candidate is prepared for entry-level nursing practice. Students Zoe Dean, Amber Harper, Heather Hudspeth, and Anna Sutton completed coursework in late Spring, and were pinned in May of 2019. SRTC faculty recently learned that each graduate passed her board exam on the first attempt. This 100% first attempt pass rate is a major accomplishment for this program and its students, as that percentage is well above the national average for nursing programs.

SRTC’s Nursing program has consistently exceeded the program’s goals with high rates of board exam passage as well as successful employment in the medical field. The Tifton program currently boasts an impressive board passage rate of 100% overall. SRTC’s Nursing Program Chair, Tammy Bryant RN, MSN, said that student success is due in large part to excellence in instruction. “The instructors in Tifton truly make for a dynamic duo! They have been the foundation blocks for this campus since the first class, and continue to make the program stronger and larger with each cohort. Bobbie Hester and Tarnishia Sirmans provide more than the fundamental didactic information needed to produce great nurses. They go beyond the classroom by providing a caring commitment to each or their students. The College is lucky to have instructors that go above and beyond to make someone successful “

The ASN Handbook provides a deeper insight to the guiding philosophies that have made SRTC’s ASN program as successful as it has been for more than a decade. “The faculty believe that nursing is a profession that utilizes a holistic, safe, effective, caring, and culturally competent approach to promote optimal health. ASN education is a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and interactive process that fosters mental, physical, and spiritual growth within the students. In fact, it is a specialized part of higher education leading to licensure as a registered nurse. ASN education and practice includes not only formal instruction, but also self-teaching, incidental learning, and continuing education. Faculty members facilitate the learning process by creating a learning environment that fosters reflection, creative and critical thinking, open communication, caring, and an interactive interchange of ideas and technological competence.”

According to Bryant, this program is vital because of the growing nursing shortage in the South Georgia area. “Over the next three years, an additional 300+ registered nurses will be needed to fill open vacancies in community hospitals and healthcare facilities in Southwest Georgia. To meet the challenge of having a sufficient number of highly qualified healthcare professionals, SRTC must continue to expand its healthcare offerings and capacity to prepare more students to enter these fields.”