Thirteen students recently graduated from Surry Community College’s Practical Nursing Program.
The graduates include Ariadna Benavides-Mendez of Boonville; MaKayla Witten of East Bend; Desiree Flowers of Hamptonville; Patyn Lowe of Lowgap; Baylee Atkins, Brianna Gordon and Michelle Moran of Mount Airy; Skyler Nolan and Alexis Robertson of Pinnacle; Sierra Roetken of Sparta; Alison Swaim of Wilkesboro; Joshua Everhart of Winston-Salem; and Lavender Hughes of Ararat, Va.
A pinning ceremony was held to honor the graduates and celebrate their accomplishments on Dec. 15 in the Shelton-Badgett North Carolina Center for Viticulture and Enology on the Dobson campus. The guest speaker at the ceremony was SCC Nurse Educator Dr. Andrea Underwood, FNP-C, MSN, RN.
Underwood shared with the graduates her background as a “country girl from Yadkin County” whose parents were hardworking tobacco farmers. They pushed her to go further with her education in order to have more opportunities for herself than they had available to them. When she began working as a nurse at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital, her colleagues frequently pointed out her Southern accent and how different she sounded from them.
Over time, she grew to embrace this, as she was able to communicate, relate to and assist patients who were also from rural areas of the state, helping them feel more at ease. She encouraged the graduates to never forget where they come from and to use their unique backgrounds to help patients and their families. She shared various stories from her years as a nurse and family nurse practitioner as ways to encourage the students to always advocate for their patients and treat them with kindness and caring.
The Practical Nursing curriculum prepares individuals with the knowledge and skills to provide nursing care to children and adults. Students will participate in nursing care as directed by the registered nurse.
Graduates are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) which is required for practice as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Employment opportunities include hospitals, rehabilitation/long term care/home health facilities, clinics, and physicians’ offices.
Prospective students can contact Dr. Yvonne Johnson at (336) 386-3368 or johnsony@surry.edu for additional information on Surry Community College’s nursing programs.
