More than 100 nursing students complete Wallace State programs

HANCEVILLE, Ala. — As she congratulated more than 100 students on successfully completing their associate degree and practical nursing educations at Wallace State Community College, Department of Nursing Education Chair Deborah “Pepper” Hoover noted how important their jobs are to people all over the world.
“These graduates have chosen a healthcare field that’s challenging, and one that can make a difference in another human being’s life for years to come,” Hoover said. “They will have an opportunity to earn a living for their families with a rewarding job.
“In light of the world events of the past few weeks, especially in western African nations, we were reminded that healthcare workers do put their own health at risk to care for others,” Hoover added. “In reading an update on the Ebola outbreak, the article pointed out the nursing care is really the main factor in patient survival. Nurses do make a difference.”
Helping others and making a difference in people’s lives were some of the factors many of the students took into consideration when choosing nursing as a career.
For Jarrod Hand of Guntersville, wanting to help others was a big part of his motivation for deciding at 16 that he wanted to be a nurse. That was when he was involved in an accident that took the lives of two motorcyclists who crashed into the car he was driving.
“I remember being in shock and thinking I have no idea what to do,” he said. “I didn’t know how to do CPR or anything like that. It was terrifying. I knew I wanted to know what to do in those situations.”
Having a sister who has Type I Diabetes and who also became a nurse first sparked an interest in the medical field, but it wasn’t until he was in that crisis situation that he knew he wanted to work in the healthcare field. He hopes to go on to be a nurse practitioner after getting some experience as a registered nurse.
Hand, along with Blaine Farris and Emily Hurst were recognized as the Nightingale Award winners for the Associate Degree Nursing Program. Josh Green earned the Nightingale Award among the Practical Nursing candidates.
Christy Keeton of Crane Hill decided to go to nursing school after her daughter Jillian turned 16.  “I just always knew being able to help people and take care of people, it makes a difference and I wanted to be a part of that,” she said.
She said she was terrified to go to college after a 17-year absence from school, but seeing there were others as old or older than her in classes and having compassionate instructors to help helped ease that fear.
Ronnie Cole, of Summiton, transferred to Wallace State from Bevill State to earn his Associate Degree in nursing. After spending 15 years in the medical equipment field, he wanted to shift focus to something that offered more variety. “You might be doing something as simple as distributing band-aids some days as a school nurse or you can be working in the OR where people’s lives are in the balance everyday,” Cole said of the range of options open to nursing graduates.
In congratulating the graduates, Wallace State President Dr. Vicki Hawsey Karolewics said she is especially proud as both the college president and as a member of the Alabama State Board of Nursing, of the successful passage rates of the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) by WSCC students.
“There are 16 universities here in the state who have baccalaureate programs and their graduates — of four year programs that cost significantly more than what you’ve invested — they spend four years to sit and take the same exam that you do,” Karolweics said. “Our licensure rate is higher than 14 of those 16 universities and within a half a percent of the other two. So I expect you to keep up that tradition.”
The pinning ceremony marked the success of more than 90 students in the Associate Degree Nursing program and about 20 Practical Nursing candidates. Their next steps will be to pass their licensure exams that will allow them to practice as Registered Nurses or Licensed Practical Nurses and be able to care for others.
For more information about Wallace State Community College or the Nursing Education program, visit www.wallacestate.edu or call 256.352.8000.