September 25, 2007
First Group of NETC Nursing Students are Working Hard

Nursing students at Northeastern Technical College receive preliminary instruction on administering injections. These students are members of the inaugural class of associate degree in nursing (ADN) program at the college.

Some students had grapefruits, some students had oranges.  But every student had hotdogs. 

But this wasn’t a picnic.  These were the subjects used by an inaugural group of associate degree nursing (ADN) students at Northeastern Technical College (NETC) to practice their intradermal and intramuscular injections.

“We use the hotdogs to practice injections like allergy and screen testing shots that go just beneath the skin”, said Anita Crawford, ADN program coordinator.  “The oranges and grapefruits are used to practice injections like insulin, heparin or vaccinations that go deeper into the muscle.” 

Crawford is teaching the college’s first group of ADN students who started the new program in August.  The program was approved by the South Carolina Technical College System, the State Board of Nursing and the Commission on Higher Education in May, 2007.

Students who successfully complete the program requirements will graduate in May of 2009.  At that time, they will take the NCLEX-RN exam, a licensure examination sponsored by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing that certifies students to work as registered nurses (RNs).

Nursing students celebrate with Stephanie Bryant, of Chesterfield, after successfully completing her first intradermal injection on a person.

The inaugural class consists of 22 students from local towns including Bennettsville, Cheraw, Dillon, Hartsville and Jefferson.  Three men are in the class, which is the most Crawford has had in any one nursing class.  Most students have part time jobs and several are supporting families.

Jeff Jacobs, of Cheraw, is a father of three who works part time as a secretary clerk at Chesterfield General Hospital. He began thinking about a career in nursing after working for 20 years as an industrial electrician in a manufacturing culture of layoffs and plant closures. 

“I knew then that the job opportunities as a nurse were limitless so I started working on a nurse preparation certificate at Northeastern,” he said.   

Nine months later, Jacobs was laid off from his job at the Dan River plant in Morven, N.C.  But he remained in college classes, completed the nursing certificate program this past August at NETC, was accepted into the ADN program and is now looking forward to the career where he knows jobs await him upon graduation.

“There are a lot of nursing jobs out there,” he said.  “They can’t ship sick people overseas.”

For Kitty Bobrek, of Jefferson, the decision to pursue the ADN to become an RN is motivated by her desire to make more money and a difference.

“After earning my certified nursing assistant (CNA) certificate from NETC in 2002, I went to work at a Kindred health facility in Monroe and eventually got into staffing,” she said.  “I enjoyed my work, and still do, but after seeing how much more the nurses were making, and how much I missed the direct patient care, I was ready to make the change.” 

Bobrek continues to work part time as a CNA where she enjoys developing relationships with patients, and their families.  She looks forward to becoming an RN where she can apply what she’s learning at NETC to improve that level of service.

“The most important part of being a good nurse is how you treat your patients, and their families,” she said.  “And this program is helping me to obtain more knowledge so I can make a bigger difference on the patients, and families, that I will serve.” 

Latoni Bethea, of Dillon, graduated from Francis Marion University with a science and biology degree in 2005.  She immediately went to work as an outreach specialist for a non-profit organization focused on science and math skill development among children in grades K-8.

“I loved working with the children, but it’s always been a dream of mine to work in the medical field with children,” she said.  “So when I saw the article in the newspaper about the new program, I just decided to see if this was a pathway to my dream.  It seemed like it so I applied.”

A few months later, Bethea received a call from the college admission office informing her that she had been accepted to enroll in the program. 

“I was so excited and ready to get started,” she said.  Bethea hopes to become a traveling nurse or, an OB nurse in the area.  But in the meantime, she’ll continue to study hard, work part-time at Zaxby’s in Dillon and provide for her 6-year old son who is in first grade at Stewart Heights Elementary in Dillon. 

“I can tell theses students are working hard because they come to class prepared and ready to learn,” said Crawford.  “They are very interested and enthusiastic about doing what it takes to become a registered nurse and they’re going to be great assets to our community.”