One-Year Technology Center Program Provides Hands-On Medical Training
education, medical, stephanie murphy, technology, tennessee technology center at dickson, training,
Nursing shortage? That’s not the case at Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson.
The school has been offering a one-year practical nursing program since 1965‚ with the curriculum certified by the Tennessee Board of Nursing. These days‚ a total of 39 students are enrolled each year in the program at the Dickson campus.
“We have many more than 39 students apply to enroll in the program‚ but we just don’t have the room to accommodate everyone‚” says Laura Travis‚ health careers coordinator at Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson. “The goal for enrolled students is to study hard and become a licensed practical nurse‚ or LPN‚ after their year of study. We’re the only school in this part of Tennessee to offer the LPN program.”
Students spend the first three months of the one-year curriculum in the classroom‚ then split time between the classroom and clinical settings from the fourth month through graduation.
“After the initial three months‚ students will spend three days a week in clinical situations and the other two days in the classroom‚” Travis says. “In the clinical situations‚ they might work in a nursing home‚ hospital‚ day clinic‚ a doctor’s office or with the health department. They see a wide variety of medical facilities so that they have a good idea of where they’ll want to work once they graduate.”
Upon completion of the program‚ graduates must pass a national nurs ing licensure exam and then apply to the state of Tennessee for their actual LPN license.
“About 97 to 98 percent of our students who have taken the national exam have passed it‚ which is an impressive statistic‚” Travis says. “Many of our LPN graduates then continue their studies at other colleges in order to become registered nurses. Our Tennessee Technology Center students are motivated in the nursing profession‚ and some of the most dedicated nurses throughout the entire country today are our former grads.”
Besides the practical nursing pro gram‚ Tennessee Technology Center also offers programs in fields such as automotive technology‚ business systems‚ computers‚ cosmetology‚ heavy equipment mechanics‚ machine tooling and surgical technology. To further assist its students‚ the school provides an evening curriculum with several classes scheduled from 6-9 p.m.
“Our center benefits the citizens‚ businesses and industries of Dickson County as well as the surrounding area and beyond‚” Travis says. “We train thou sands of people each year in a variety of fields. We are good at what we do.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
