Practical nursing students pinned at RCC ceremony

On July 30, 17 students pledged to devote their lives to “service and the high ideals of the nursing profession” after their successful completion of Rappahannock Community College’s practical nursing curriculum. The ceremony was kindly hosted by Lebanon Worship Center in Saluda (Middlesex County).

2012 Class of the RCC Practical Nursing Program

After a cordial welcome from Robert Griffin, the academic dean of RCC’s Glenns Campus, keynote speaker Karen Taliaferro used the initials “CPR” (ordinarily referring to cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) to remind the audience of some of the most important principles of nursing: Competent Consistent Care, Persistent Patient Participation, and Regular Re-Evaluation and Reporting. Taliaferro directs RCC’s nurse aide program as well as teaching in the practical nursing and associate-degree nursing programs; other members of the practical nursing faculty are Gaylen Davis, Natalie Johnson, Susan Perry, Colette Smith, program director Jan Stephens, and Brooke Taylor. Also speaking at the event were two class members (Kayli Pitts and Annmarie Krahl), who reflected on their experiences and the personal relationships they built during the course of the program.

Receiving pins this year were Kimberly Irvine and Deborah Jackson, Colonial Beach; Laurie Loving, Vanessa Marion, and Kayli Pitts, all of Essex County; Annmarie Krahl and Danielle Wilson, Gloucester County; Chelsea Call, Henrico County; Melanie Goins and Chanetta Wynn, King and Queen County; Amanda Allison, King George County; Christina Coleman, Middlesex County; Glenda Atkins, New Kent County; Gale Boyd, Northumberland County; Sarah Hundley and Wanda Pomeroy, Richmond County; and Makeda Anderson, West Point. Though made up of students with very diverse interests, coming from a variety of backgrounds and many different age groups, the Class of 2012 pulled together to work as an effective team, which speaks well of its future ability to meet the needs of the community. “It was the biggest class we have had in a while,” comments Taliaferro. “The venue was full to capacity.” Many of the graduates requested friends or family members who are already nurses to honor them by awarding them their pins—the symbol of their new status.

RCC’s three-semester practical nursing program is open to men and women who show evidence of interest, motivation, and aptitude in health care. The program includes lectures, labs, and clinical site rotations, and covers the subjects of sociology, psychology, pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, nutrition and human development, health changes, medical terminology, and drug dosage calculations. Students participate in clinical rotations that include obstetrics and gynecology, mental health, pediatrics, medical-surgical nursing, and long-term care nursing. Upon completion of the program, they are eligible to apply to the Virginia State Board of Nursing to take the licensure exam.

Photo: Seventeen students of RCC’s practical nursing program received their pins at a ceremony on July 30. Left to right, front row: practical nursing program director Jan Stephens; students Chanetta Wynn, Wanda Pomeroy, Laurie Loving, Kayli Pitts, Amanda Allison, Vanessa Marion, Deborah Jackson, and Kimberly Irvine; and instructor Karen Taliaferro. Back row, left to right: Christina Coleman, Makeda Anderson, Chelsea Call, Sarah Hundley, Gale Boyd, Danielle Wilson, Annmarie Krahl, and Melanie Goins. Not pictured: Glenda Atkins.