Nursing the need for change

Sometimes life doesn't turn out the way you planned. If you're lucky, you get to change directions before it's too late. But it's not easy.

Just ask the 94 graduates of Trident Technical College's Nursing Division. Theirs was a long, hard road that ended with last week's emotional pinning ceremony.

Receiving an associate degree and becoming a registered nurse was, for some, a lifelong dream. For others it was a new beginning. But for Muriel Horton, dean of the nursing program, it was a familiar story.

"This is one of our largest and most popular programs at the college," Horton said proudly as she surveyed December's class all decked out in their white uniforms. "We admit about 300 students a year, we have about 500 in the program, and there are about 2,600 in the college working to get into the nursing program."

And yet this class is not comprised of typical college students. It has more experience, more character, and more than a few bumps and bruises. Exactly what you want in a nurse.

Challenging task

As they walked across the stage Tuesday night at the College Center, the Class of 2009 was represented by all shapes, sizes, ages and manner of people who heard the call to become healers.

"Our mean age is 31," Horton said. "We have lots of second-career people. We have lots of mothers who have raised their children and wanted to become nurses. We also have people who have degrees they want to pair with nursing, like a computer science background or business degree."

Indeed this class included single mothers, single fathers and working parents. There were students who worked while in school, some who didn't have dependable

transportation to and from class, some with children and some who struggled to find child care.

They came together two years ago to face the challenging task of becoming a nurse, to find a respectable, dependable profession and to change the direction of their life.

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And they succeeded. According to school President Mary Thornley, TTC nurses score higher than the state and national average on licensing tests, the same tests taken by four-year graduate nurses.

It can be done

Matthew Merritt is 47 years old, a graduate of Edinboro University in Pennsylvania who worked as a parole officer before moving to South Carolina to pursue a new dream.

"I had an interest in nursing because my mother was ill when I was growing up, and I did EMS work on a volunteer basis back home," said Merritt, who graduated last week with honors. "So I cashed in my pension and came back to school."

Merritt currently works as a practical nurse at Palmetto Behavioral Health and hopes to transition into an RN job with his new degree. While it was a tough row to hoe, he said it can be done at this stage of life.

"If you're thinking about doing it, don't take it lightly because it is a huge commitment as far as time away from your family," he said. "You need to dedicate yourself as far as time. You need to make your studies a priority. But there's a lot of support here at the college, especially among your peers."

There is no shortage of proof that it can be done. All you have to do is ask almost any member of this graduating class for their story and it will inspire you.

So many stories

Shante Delesline, 29, was a nurse's assistant for nine years before she achieved this goal.

"I also had my daughter, age 4, and got married along the way," Delesline said. "I got my LPN last year and my RN this year, so I've been climbing the ladder. I even have a job at the Palms of Mount Pleasant, and my ultimate goal is the intensive care unit."

Michelle Bowne got her undergraduate from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 1999 and worked in marketing and computer graphics before deciding on nursing school.

"I wanted to get away from the desk and work with people," said Bowne, 32, who is married with a young daughter. "I worked all sorts of jobs here at the school, and now I'm sending resumes out like crazy."

Krishna Woods said she got burned out after seven years working as a local television producer. She had an associate degree from Trident but wanted to make a change in her life.

"I was very apprehensive, very afraid and very scared because I had to move back in with my mother to make this happen," Woods said. "But I never looked back and couldn't be happier."

Sharon Williams, 46, moved here with her Air Force husband from Colorado, where she worked as a massage therapist. But she also had some experience working with hospice, which renewed her interest in nursing.

"I'm one of the older ones," Williams said with a smile. "I've wanted to be a nurse ever since I was born."

So please, welcome the December Class of 2009 to the world of nursing. They've all come a long way to get here.

Reach Ken Burger at kburger@postandcourier.com or 937-5598.