Vol State Nursing Celebrates First Graduates

The first group of graduates in the Volunteer State Community College Nursing program celebrated a virtual pinning ceremony recently. The event was put together as a video highlighting the students and their accomplishments. Seven students from the Gallatin campus and eleven students from the Livingston campus each earned an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Nursing. It prepares them to apply to sit for licensure as a Registered Nurse. Thus far, eleven students have taken the NCLEX and all eleven have passed.

“We are pleased after many years to have our own associate degree nursing program at Vol State,” said president Jerry Faulkner. “It is exciting to celebrate the completion of our first group of students and to learn of their success on the NCLEX.  They are the first of what will surely be many more successful students.  We know they will be great representatives of the college as they serve as Registered Nurses in our communities.” 

The two-year degree program starts in the summer each year. The second group is taking classes now. Cassie Koester recently joined Vol State as the new dean of Nursing. Koester was most recently on the nursing faculty at Lake Land College in Mattoon, IL.

“I love the area and I love the community college setting, especially when it comes to nursing,” Koester said. “Vol State has a great deal to offer their nursing students and there is still room for growth.  Vol State seemed like the perfect fit.” 

The Nursing program is taught on the Gallatin and Livingston campuses. Applications for the next class will be available starting in March. All general education, science, and elective courses required must be complete or in progress at the time of application, with a minimum GPA of 3.3. The students most likely to be ready to apply for the A.A.S. Nursing program will be Pre-Nursing students at Vol State and other colleges. For more information about Vol State Nursing visit the web page www.volstate.edu/nursingaas.

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This is a list of the graduates by campus location: