SCC celebrates 2020 Nursing School graduates
August 02, 2021
It may have taken a lot longer than usual, but 52 students at Surry Community College last month were finally able to celebrate graduating from nursing programs at the college last year.
Twenty-four Surry Community College students graduated from the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program, and 28 students graduated from the Licensed Practical Nursing to Associate Degree Nursing (LPN-ADN) program in 2020, but their graduation ceremony was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Surry’s ADN curriculum provides students with opportunities to develop knowledge, skills, and strategies to integrate safety and quality into nursing care, to practice in a dynamic environment, and to assist individuals in making informed decisions that impact their health, quality of life, and achievement of potential.
The pinning and graduation ceremony was held July 1 on Surry’s Dobson campus. The guest speaker was 2020 graduate Billye Jo Goins, RN, who spoke about the comradery among their group, and the compelling experiences they now share because they entered their nursing careers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Goins reflected on various topics and knowledge shared with their class by nursing faculty during their academic program that the students have found invaluable in their roles as registered nurses.
SCC President Dr. David Shockley welcomed the graduates followed by remarks from Dr. Yvonne Johnson,associate dean of health sciences at SCC. Dr. Douglas Underwood, PhD, MSN, RN, the director of the Yadkin Center and the director of Emergency Medical Programs, presented the pins. Dr. Shockley then performed the presentation of diplomas.
The associate degree nursing graduates are Billye Jo Goins, Celena Morrison, Melisha Mosley, Jake Phillips, Kaitlyn Russell, Brandy Sawyer, Katie Stanley, and Emily Wilber of Mount Airy; Rosetta Hogan, Brooke Whittington, and Abigail Worley of Pilot Mountain; Christian Mayes and Madison Wright of Dobson; Cassidy Cook of Jonesville; Makayla Adams of State Road; and Meaghan Edwards of East Bend. Sydney Gillespie of Lawsonville; Diana Hernandez and Emily Lynch of Pinnacle; Katie Moncus of Yadkinville; Kayla Tuttle of Walnut Cove; Amy Wike of Statesville; Ashley Wright of Westfield; and April Vass of Hillsville, Virginia.
Savanna Powell of East Bend was a Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses graduate. She finished the first three years of her four years of education at SCC. In fall 2020, Powell continued taking classes online with Lees McRae College, completing those classes in the spring of 2021 to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
The Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses program is a collaboration between SCC and Lees McRae providing nursing students with an affordable and accessible opportunity to attain a baccalaureate degree in nursing on the campus of SCC. Students are dually enrolled at the schools, taking classes at both SCC and online at Lees McRae during the first three years of the program. At the end of the third-year students take the licensure examination for registered nurses (NCLEX-RN) and are then eligible to work as an RN while completing their final year of nursing courses online with Lees McRae.
The following graduates were already licensed as LPNs and earned the Associate Degree in Nursing: Jessica Hawks of Mount Airy; Ryan Songer of Elkin; Kelly Barrett of Walkertown; Brittany Bowers of Hickory; Tywan Burney of Greensboro; Lorraine Burton and Anthony Word of Charlotte; Britteny Cleary of Hamptonville; Erica Cooke of Reidsville; Brenda Dillard of Jefferson; Jacquelyn Fulp, Christina Lester and Danielle Smith of Kernersville; Kristi Gowan-Fisher of Taylorsville; Samantha Hincher of Thurmond; Jourdan Pack Starling of Tobaccoville; Carrie Patrick of West Jefferson; Kayla Plumley and Janna Winstead of Mocksville; Bridget Riggins and Jennifer Cleary of Sparta; Kayla Wiles of Glade Valley; Anna Cromer of King, Tammi Gurley-Patterson of Dallas; Lindsay Kish of Statesville; Pamela Smith of Lexington; Jessica South of North Wilkesboro; Kayla Sparks of Yadkinville; and Bridget Twilley of Sparta.
Surry Community College students can choose to complete the ADN, which is a two-year program, or currently licensed practical nurses (LPNs) can choose to complete the LPN-ADN program, which is a three-semester program. Graduates are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination.
For more information about the program, contact Associate Dean of Health Sciences Dr. Yvonne Johnson at 336-386-3368 or johnsony@surry.edu. Follow the nursing program on Facebook @surrynursing.
