Telegraph Staff Writer
Turning expectations into reality.
That’s what the 11 students in the North Florida Technical College part-time practical nursing class that graduated in December accomplished, with every student passing the National Council Licensure Examination on their first attempt.
“I intend for it to happen,” instructor Suzy Trimble said, explaining her expectation of every student in every class. “I’ve got to proclaim it and believe it.”
When it actually happens, it brings about a sense of joy and accomplishment.
“We had a part-time class that did that about five years ago, but unfortunately, we haven’t had one since. We’re pretty happy about it,” Trimble said.
Instructor Lynn Dickinson said, “You just push them so hard during that course. Then you hope that when it comes down to the final hour, that they’re able to retain what you taught them and respond appropriately to the exam. When you see that happen, it’s very fulfilling.”
Becky McCord, who’s also an instructor in the program, said, “I just feel like we did our job right for our students.”
McCord said passing the exam on the first attempt is a “big deal,” explaining that “if you don’t pass after your third attempt, you have to go back through remediation and schooling again.”
The December 2021 graduating class consisted of Emily Collins, Roberta Dykes, Halie Hammond, Ashley Hicks, Brandi Hopkins, Cassity Phillips, Marlies Siemer, Natasha Smith, Sierra Steward, Amber Taylor and Imani West. Now nurses, they enter a field that’s in high demand for employees.
“According to the literature, there’s going to a more than 1.1 million nursing shortage in our country,” Dickinson said. “I think a lot of that has to do with our current state with the pandemic. However, we were kind of headed that way before the pandemic hit.”
Trimble said graduates can earn approximately $15 per hour to $25 per hour starting out, depending on the facility they work in and their level of responsibility.
“There is no greater return on the dollar than this program because, essentially, for $7,500, they can then make that back within the first few months of their employment,” Trimble said.
Dickinson said graduates can sometimes earn back their tuition on day one in the form of sign-on bonuses — another factor of the nursing shortage.
Practical nursing at NFTC is a 1,350-hour program that’s offered both full-time (10 months) and part-time (18 months).
“They spend half that time in clinicals at various healthcare facilities throughout the area,” Trimble said. “The other half is in the classroom.”
Even in the classroom, though, students are treated as if they’re in a clinical setting. A phrase the instructors like to use is, “Your shift isn’t over.”
“We expect and demand excellence from them in the classroom setting in all aspects, as if they were on the floor giving medications, arriving to work on time, giving their best and not cutting any corners or compromising,” Dickinson said, adding, “We hope they take that into the clinical setting. I feel like they do.”
Trimble said, “I consider these students to be on the clock when they’re in the classroom learning. They have to develop that discipline.”
The instructors say they are strict and demand a lot of their students. Would any of us really want it any other way?
“We kind of say, ‘Would I want her taking care of me one day or my mother or my grandmother?’ They have to toe the line,” Dickinson said.
One of the December graduates certainly took her education/training seriously. Marlies Siemer didn’t miss a day.
“That is completely unheard of,” Trimble said. “(NFTC Administrator Brad) Bishop said in all his years here, he’s never heard of a nursing student having perfect attendance.”
More job opportunities for licensed practical nurses exist due to the nursing shortage, McCord said. However, if NFTC practical nurse graduates wish to go on and earn a degree as a registered nurse, they can enroll in LPN-to-RN bridge programs at Santa Fe College, Florida Gateway College and St. Johns River State College and receive credit for the work they’ve done at NFTC.
It would be natural to assume that students in the NFTC program are from Bradford County as well as Union County and parts of Alachua and Clay counties, and that is true, but students are also coming from Baker, Columbia and Duval counties. Dickinson said the program has had some students drive from more than an hour away, which says a lot about the program’s reputation.
“We’ve always had a really good program since it started,” Dickinson said, adding, “We’ve always had good pass rates overall. We’ve typically been higher than most of the area LPN programs, so we’ve always been really strong, but it seems like we’re building even more strength, especially now with our last class all passing.”
To find out more about NFTC’s practical nursing program, please visit bradfordschools.org and select the college in the “Our Schools” tab. You may also call 904-966-6764.
