Nursing News 2020

Teacher of the Month!
Radio Station KISS-FM presented Lab Coordinator Michelle Rosano with a well-deserved Teacher of the Month Award. Michelle was nominated by fourth level Student Tiffany Rodriguez for going above and beyond on behalf of students in the simulation lab. This is the first time the award has been given to someone in higher education. The prize included a three day stay in Panama City, Florida.

Congratulations, Deborah!
Congratulations to Deborah Deal, Chief Nurse Executive of Parkridge Health System, who was named Nurse Leader of Distinction at the Tennessee Hospital Association meeting. She earned her BSN from the UTC School of Nursing, and is currently enrolled in the Doctor Of Nursing Practice: Nursing Administration Program. She earned her Master of Science in Health Services Administration from the University of St. Francis.

White Coat Ceremony
Following a virtual White Coat Ceremony for friends and family via Zoom, the BSN Class of Fall 2022 gathered with masks for a quick picture. Please note that social distancing was maintained at all other times. You can see the recording of the ceremony on YouTube.

Compassion Closet
Taylor Theobald, BSN '18 started the Compassion Closet to meet the needs of Erlanger Cardiac Step Down patients who come to the hospital with no clothes appropriate for discharge. To date, the Closet has served more than 600 people. Taylor earned the Pay-It-Forward award from Channel 9 News and received $500 to purchase more clothes. The year 2021 will be exciting for Taylor as she plans a Spring wedding and a fall graduation from Lee University where she will earn her DNP.


BSN Program Nationally Ranked by Study.com
Study.com has published its 2020 rankings for the best BSN programs in the country, and The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga is ranked #49. Among the hundreds of schools evaluated for this list, UTC was selected based on academic and career resources for BSN students, the quality of education, and program accessibility, among other factors.

MSN Ranked Top 25 Nationally
The UTC Master’s of Science in Nursing program is one of the top 25 in the country, according to Gradreports.com. The ranking is based entry-level salaries for graduates and uses U.S. Department of Education data.
“We are honored to be identified as a top 25 Master’s of Science in Nursing program,” said Chris Smith, Director of the School of Nursing. “Our Family and Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner concentrations consistently have a 100 percent pass rate on the certification exam while the Nurse Anesthesia concentration is over 90 percent."

RN-BSN Ranked Top Five
RegisteredNursing.org has again placed UTC's RN-BSN Gateway program, which allows working nurses to earn their BSN, as one of the best online programs of its type in Tennessee. Thanks to the dedicated faculty, staff, and students who have made the Gateway Program one of the flagships for online education at UTC and in the state.