HANCEVILLE, Ala. — Wallace State Community College will honor the nursing profession during its “Celebration of Nursing — Heroes of the Past, Present and Future” on Thursday, April 20, at the School of Nursing and Center for Science. The event coincides with the 50th anniversary of the college’s associate degree nursing (ADN) program but is open to all who wish to celebrate these important caregivers.
“We are extremely excited at the opportunity to celebrate nurses,” said Deborah “Pepper” Hoover, chair of the WSCC Department of Nursing Education. “We invite all nurses, former faculty, community partners and anyone with an interest in nursing to celebrate with us.”
The celebration will begin at 4 p.m., with a networking reception and tour of the WSCC Nursing Center of Excellence, including its state-of-the-art Simulation Center. The dinner and program will begin at 6, featuring WVTM 13 Meteorologist and WSCC alumni Jason Simpson and a panel discussion on “The Future of Nursing.” The panel will include Arin Zapf (Huntsville Hospital System), Terri Poe (UAB Medicine), Amy Shelton (Ascension/St. Vincent’s), Delicia Mason (Children’s of AL), Jackie Martinek (Brookwood Baptist), Leigh Bolton (ATI) and Peggy Benson (Alabama Board of Nursing).
“We invite everyone to attend and listen as these esteemed healthcare professionals share their insights on the future of the field,” said Hoover. “Nursing is evolving every day and faces many issues that will have long-term effects in both education and in practice. We are looking forward to a lively discussion.”
Tickets to the “Celebration of Nursing” are $40 per person and include refreshments, dinner and more. Sponsors will receive eight to 16 tickets as determined by their level of sponsorship. To purchase group of individual tickets and for more information, visit www.wsccalumni.org/celebratenursing.
Wallace State has awarded thousands of degrees and certificates in nursing over the years. They began offering the associate degree nursing (ADN) program in 1973, after previously offering only the practical nursing certificate beginning in 1968. The first associate degrees in nursing were awarded in 1975. The college continues to offer both the practical nursing certificate and the associate degree in nursing, as well as a joint enrollment program with UAB School of Nursing. That joint enrollment program allows students to concurrently pursue both an associate degree from WSCC and a bachelor’s degree from UAB. The program also offers mobility options for certain credentialed healthcare professionals who wish to become a nurse.
Both the practical nursing and associate degree programs were approved by the Alabama Board of Nursing. In 1984, the ADN program was first accredited by the National League for Nursing and has been reaccredited during each accreditation cycle since. In 2012, the Practical Nursing program was accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and has maintained that status. In 1989, the programs were combined as the Department of Nursing Education. Hazel Outlaw served as the first department chair, followed by Denise Elliot from 1995-2010 and Hoover from 2010 to present.
The Department of Nursing Education moved to its facilities to the School of Nursing and Center for Science in 2014, where students have access to state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, including the Simulation Center that is often used by other WSCC Health Science programs.
The program has twice been recognized as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing, a recognition of not only its commitment to students but to the community through programs such as Let’s Pretend Hospital, KidCheck and more.
This fall, the Nursing program will offer classes at the Wallace State Oneonta Academic Center. Classes will be offered from the first three semesters of the traditional pathway. Completion of those first three semesters leads to the practical nursing certificate.
Former students, faculty and staff of the Nursing program are encouraged to send photos from their time at Wallace State to celebrate.nursing@wallacestate.edu. During the Celebration event, those photos will be shown during a slideshow presentation. Also, framed class composite photos will be on display for viewing.
For more information about the Nursing program, which is accepting applications for the Fall 2023 semester from March 15 to May 15, visit www.wallacestate.edu/nursing. You can also find a link to the Celebration of Nursing event there or please contact Rachel Kreps at 256-352-8411 or rachel.kreps@wallacestate.edu or email celebrate.nursing@wallacestate.edu.
