News Briefs

New Classroom Site for Bristol Nursing Students

Thirty-five practical nursing students at the Tennessee Technology Center in Elizabethton are no longer homeless in Bristol.

When East Tennessee State University closed its Bristol Center on Dec. 31, 2008 due to state budget reductions, the classroom used by the Bristol nursing students was no longer available.

Until a permanent site could be secured, Bristol Motor Speedway has provided a "temporary" classroom at the speedway since Jan. 5. On Feb. 2, Bristol nursing students moved into their new "permanent" classroom located in the Bluff City Rescue Squad headquarters' building.

"We are very grateful to Jeff Byrd, president and general manager at BMS, for making temporary classroom space available on such short notice. We also appreciate the Bluff City Rescue Squad for providing a permanent classroom site for the Bristol nursing students," said Jerry Patton, director of TTC-Elizabethton.

TTC-Elizabethton accepts an average of 370 students each year, on a first-come first-served basis, to the 12-month Practical Nursing program classes offered in Kingsport, Bristol and Elizabethton. The training prepares graduates for the State Board of Nursing exam to become a Licensed Practical Nurse.

Rotary Club Sponsers LPN Scholarship

Christina Alexander of Elizabethton, speaking to the Elizabethton Rotary Club recently, said she was a grateful recipient of the Rotary Scholarship, which allowed her to continue in school at the Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton to become a Licensed Practical Nurse.

Another nursing student, Tim Huggins of Hampton, formerly of Queens, N.Y., told club members that after spending 31 years in the restaurant business with his family, he finally found his passion. "I was called to be a nurse. I wasn’t at peace with myself before then," Huggins said.

Huggins said his wife, a home health nurse, encouraged him to enroll in the 12-month Practical Nursing Program at TTC-Elizabethton, where she also graduated 11 years ago.

According to Huggins, the past four months into the program have been the "most intense in my life" with two of the best nursing instructors (Sandy Barker, RN, and Emma Hopson, RN) "who treat students like family. "

Among projects to fund Rotary Club scholarships is the Charlie Robinson Memorial Golf Tournament held each year in memory of the former publisher of the Elizabethton Star.

Charles Fitzsimmons, club president, said the Rotary Club supports education initiatives to improve the lives of others which, in turn, make the community a better place in which to live.

Altrusa Club Donates Nursing Video Series

The Altrusa Club of Kingsport has donated an Anatomy and Physiology video library, valued at $1,000, to the Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton for the practical nursing class in Kingsport.

Ms. Scottie Harrell, a past district governor of Altrusa, presented the training programs to Bena Kear, RN, and Michele Armstrong, RN, nursing instructors for the Kingsport class.

Terri Blevins, director of the practical nursing program at TTC-Elizabethton, expressed appreciation to the Altrusa Club f`or donating the video series, which, she said, will be incorporated into the 12-month practical nursing program curriculum. Altrusa International Inc. is an international association of business executives and professionals who volunteer their energies and expertise in projects dedicated to community betterment. As a community service organization, Altrusa espouses volunteerism and service, fights for literacy, and helps combat AIDS. 

Christina Alexander of Elizabethton and Tim Huggins of Hampton, pictured at right, discuss with Don Pectol, chairman of the Elizabethton Rotary Club Scholarship Fund, the Practical Nursing Program at the Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton.