Clinical work is required of nursing students at Tennessee Technology Center (TTC), Elizabethton. Pictured at Sycamore Shoals Hospital are, from left, Robin Hollowell, instructor, Melissa Hankes, April Irick, Beth Glass, Dana Vance, all students, and Terri Blevins, TTC nursing director. Photo by Dave Boyd

TTC believes their work is unfinished until their graduates are employed

By Bob Robinson
Star Staff
brobinson@starhq.com

   Jerry Patton, director of the Tennessee Technology Center (TTC) in Elizabethton, believes the job is not done until their graduates are employed.
   Currently, TTC is placing more than 90 percent of its graduates in jobs. "There are plenty of jobs out there for those with technical skills," Patton said.
   TTC graduates have found jobs in Carter, Washington, Johnson, Sullivan and Unicoi counties.
   Employers of TTC graduates, by field of study shown in parenthesis, include:
   (Welding) Star Building Systems, Douglas Dynamics;
   (Practical Nursing) Sycamore Shoals Hospital, Johnson City Medical Center and VA Hospital, Mountain Home;
   (Diesel Mechanics/Heavy Equipment Repair) RT Transport, ProDiesel, Smokey Mountain Freight Lines, East Tennessee Rental-Baxter Division;
   (Electricity/Electronics) Siemens, Vance Electric, MI Plastics;
   (Computer Operations Technology) Siemens, Sprint;
   (Business Systems Technology) First Medical Group, Milligan College, Johnson City Medical Center, Siemens Westinghouse, Dr. David Mills;
   (Automotive Technology) Grindstaff Chevrolet, Carter County Motors, Free Service Tire;
   (Millwright Skills) Siemens Westinghouse, S&B-Kingsport, Fluor Daniel-Kingsport; and,
   (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning/Sheet Metal) Advanced Heating and Cooling, J and C Services, Bond Heating and Cooling.
   There's a 100 percent job placement rate in several TTC programs, including Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) and Millwright Skills.
   "Presently, there's a big demand for nurses in Northeast Tennessee. All of our nursing graduates are finding jobs in hospitals, home health care, nursing homes and doctor's offices, to mention a few," Patton said.
   Terri Blevins, nursing director, said there is a waiting list of 112 students who have taken and passed the entrance exam to enroll in the one-year Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program at TTC. The next exam is scheduled for March 14.
   The LPN program has also outgrown available classroom space at TTC's Herman Robinson Campus on Arney Hill in Elizabethton.
   "We need more space and faculty for students who desire to enroll in the LPN program at TTC.
   "The current level of state funding will not allow TTC to keep up with the enrollment demand," Patton added.
   The latest class of LPN students will graduate at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 19, at First Baptist Church in Elizabethton. There will be 40 in the graduating class, including 17 evening students.
   "It requires a family sacrifice to study nursing. Nursing students must have the support of their families," Ms. Blevins said.
   TTC has the only LPN program east of Morristown except Bristol. The average age of nurses in Tennessee is 45, according to Ms. Blevins, who is a member of the Tennessee Nursing Consortium.
   Financial Aid for students enrolled in the LPN program at TTC is available from the Alliance for Business Training, Ms. Blevins added.
   Day classes average 30 hours per week. TTC offers two nursing classes during the day and one in the evening in Elizabethton and one in Mountain City.
   The nursing evening class is held 20 hours a week for 18 months. Evening classes are held 20 hours a week for 18 months.
   Six-hour-per-day clinical training, which begins in the second quarter of study and continues for three quarters, is held in hospitals, nursing homes and doctor's offices.
   Upon graduation, TTC students are eligible to take the Tennessee Board of Nursing Exam administered by the Tennessee Board of Nursing. The untimed computerized test may be completed in one to five hours, Ms. Blevins added.
   "TTC ranks in the top two in the State, among 26 technology centers, in the number of students graduating in nursing," Ms. Blevins said.
   In the past 17 years Ms. Blevins has been at TTC, she has seen more than 1,000 students graduate from the LPN program.
   The LPN program began in Elizabethton in 1969 at the former Area Vocational Technical School on Arney Hill.
   The length of each TTC course ranges from 12 to 18 months, depending upon the curriculum. Students may attend either part-time or full-time. Some may also receive dual credit, that is high school students may also receive college credit.
   The TTC in Elizabethton has 25 instructors and support staff, with an annual payroll of $1 million. TTC has an enrollment of 400 students who live in Carter, Johnson, Washington, Sullivan and Unicoi counties.
   Student ages range from 18 to 50, with the average age being 28.
   Student fees are reasonable, ranging from $82 tuition for one-30 hours of course work, to $275 tuition for full-time students, those taking 324 hours or more of course work. There is an additional $31 technical fee.
   TTC's main campus is located at 426 Highway 91, near the Elizabethton Municipal Airport. The Herman Robinson Campus is located at 1500 Arney Street in Elizabethton.
   Satellite campuses are located in:
   * Mountain City -- Courses in nursing and business systems technology are offered;
   * Johnson City -- Courses in business system technology and computer learning lab are scheduled to begin at the Keystone Community Center. This is a joint venture with East Tennessee State University;
   * Johnson City -- Nursing courses at Science Hill High School are scheduled to begin when the state budget permits;
   * Kingsport -- A nursing course has been discussed but is a year away from being offered. This is a joint venture with Northeast State Technical Community College.
   * Bristol -- Courses are planned for the near future.
   Members of the TTC General Advisory Committee are Carter County Executive Truman Clark; Dr. William Locke, president of Northeast State Technical Community College; State Rep. Ralph Cole; Bob Robinson, Elizabethton Star;
   Dr. Paul Stanton, president of East Tennessee State University; Leslie Parks Pope, Tennessee Board of Regents; Meredith Trott, Carter County Schools; Sis Dickenson, Fluor Daniel-Tennessee Eastman Project, Kingsport;
   Robert Reedy, Reedy & Sykes Architects and Design; Wanda Jones, Business Systems Technology Center, Elizabethton; Evone Pass, Star Building Systems; Haynes Elliott, Economic Development Commission;
   Freddy Gonzalez, owner of Chaparral Pontiac-Buick-GMC, Johnson City; Norm Voelzow, Voelzow & Company, Inc., Wingate, N.C.; Brenda T. Ketterman, Suitt Construction Co., Inc., Greenville, S.C.; and Steve Quillen, Eastman, Kingsport.
   The telephone number for TTC's main campus is 423-543-0070. The Web site address is www.elizabethton.tec.tn.us.