Ellen “Noel” Wooten’s three-year old daughter, Destiny, is the driving force and ”my greatest inspiration” in her quest to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. Noel, a student in the Practical Nursing Program at the Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton, recently received an academic scholarship from the National Technical Honor Society to help her reach that goal.
“Destiny has brought me through some tough times and helped me rebuild my life after my husband left me,” said Noel, who was one of 35 students in the U.S. and the only one in Tennessee to receive a $1,000 NTHS scholarship in the 2007-2008 school year.
Noel, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Baker of Elizabethton, said she plans on using the scholarship to attend either East Tennessee State University or Indiana State University to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.
“My goal is to eventually work as a pediatric nurse at Johnson City Medical Center, the new JCMC Children’s Hospital or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital,” Noel said.
Noel, who is a 2002 honors graduate at Elizabethton High School, said she enrolled in Practical Nursing at TTC-Elizabethton “because of the program’s good reputation, it could be completed in 12 months, and the need to support herself, financially, while in school.”
Health care has been a tradition in Noel’s immediate family for years. Her mother has been in home health nursing for 19 years...her father in medical supplies.
What are the biggest challenges facing the nursing profession today? Noel believes continuing education, meeting required standards of excellence and helping the common man prevent health problems from occurring are the top three issues.
The NTHS scholarship is named in honor and memory of Jon H. Poteat, co-founder of the Society. NTHS has 2,000 member schools and colleges. Students who join the honor society should demonstrate academic achievement, skills development, leadership, honesty, responsibility and good character.
James King, vice chancellor for Tennessee Technology Centers, is a member of the 2007-2008 NTHS Board of Directors.