Financial constraints have prompted the Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton to cancel its practical nursing class in Bluff City, effective Jan. 1, 2010.
Officially, the practical nursing class in Bluff City is being placed on a two-year suspension, Dean Blevins, director, announced today. Students who have applied for admission to the Bluff City class will be allowed to enroll in practical nursing classes held in Elizabethton.
"We regret that funding from private sources, which subsidized operational expenses in the past, were not available for the class in Bluff City to continue. Approximately $100,000 was needed to pay expenses, which includes salaries of nursing faculty and clinical personnel, leasing of classroom and office space, and related expenses," Blevins said.
Blevins expressed appreciation to the Bluff City Rescue Squad for providing classroom space the past year in their headquarters building, located at 143 Main Street. The nursing class met at the ETSU at Bristol Center on Volunteer Boulevard until the center closed for financial reasons.
Since the practical nursing class in Bristol began two years ago, more than 40 students have graduated from the 12-month training program. The program prepares graduates for the State Board of Nursing exam to become a Licensed Practical Nurse and employment in health care facilities in Northeast Tennessee.
Blevins said funds from private sources are also needed for the practical nursing class offered by TTC-Elizabethton on the ETSU at Kingsport Campus at Allandale. He said personal contacts will be made with area health care providers and other community leaders in the coming weeks to muster financial support for the Kingsport nursing program.
The registration fee to enroll in the Practical Nursing Program at TTC-Elizabethton is approximately $2,700 per year. Financial assistance from the Tennessee Lottery Scholarship and Federal Pell Grant, totaling $7,349 per year, is available to students who qualify.
Tennessee Technology Center ©
426 Highway 91 / Elizabethton, TN
423-543-0070