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| Wallace to Celebrate National Nurses Day | 2009-04-28 |
| Wallace Community College nursing students practice clinical training at local health-care facilities. Practical nursing student Kenyata Gilbert (right) rotates in labor and delivery at Southeast Alabama Medical Center and receives instruction from veteran registered nurse Ann Butler. | |
 Dothan, Ala.—Students of the Wallace Community College associate degree and practical nursing programs will celebrate National Nurses Day Wednesday, May 6, from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. with a reception in Rane Hall at the Wallace Campus in Dothan. National Nurses Day is celebrated each year on May 6 to open National Nurses Week, which runs through May 12, the birth date of Florence Nightingale. Nightingale (1820-1910) is recognized as the mother of modern nursing. Wallace Community College is noted for excellence in its nursing programs, which continue to enroll large numbers each semester. Practical nursing, which began at the Wallace Campus in Dothan in 1952, is one of the college’s oldest programs and is offered at all three Wallace locations in Dothan, Eufaula and Fort Rucker. The combined programs have graduated more than 3,100 to date, and 151 students are currently enrolled in practical nursing. More than 3,000 students have graduated from the associate degree nursing program since it first began in 1969, and 452 students are currently enrolled in the program. Another 541 students are enrolled in pre-nursing academic courses. Both of the Wallace nursing programs are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, with the ADN program being accredited through spring 2015, and the PN program being accredited through fall 2016. The last program review was conducted for the 2007-08 year, and the Wallace pass rate on board scores was 90.4 percent for ADN and 98.3 percent for LPN. The requirement for passage is 80 percent. According the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the aging baby boomer population—78 million strong—has created an increased demand for nurses, placing the profession among the 20 fastest growing careers for the next decade. National Nurses Week was first observed in October 1954, to mark the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's mission to Crimea. In 1981, May 6 was unofficially adopted as “National Recognition Day for Nurses.” The following year, the U.S. Congress designated the day, and President Ronald Reagan signed the proposal to make May 6 the official "National Recognition Day for Nurses." In 1990, the American Nurses Association expanded the celebration into a week-long event (May 6-12) known as "National Nurses Week." For more information about the Wallace nursing programs, call Jackie Spivey, associate degree nursing program director, 334-556-2407; or Gwyn Galloway, practical nursing program director, 334-556-2433; or visit the Wallace Web site at www.wallace.edu. | |
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