News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Tennessee Tech’s Whiston-Hester School of Nursing enrollment has not been affected by COVID.
Some medical programs have reported a drop in interest because of COVID. But Tech Dean Dr. Kim Hanna said applications for both lower and upper division classes have steadily grown.
“Our applications for upper division for our bachelor of science and nursing degree are up,” Hanna said. “We actually have more qualified applications than we can accommodate. We are also seeing an increase in our graduate programs. Our master of science and nursing and our doctorate of nursing practice applications have increased.”
Hanna said pre-pandemic, the need for nurses was high, but now, the pandemic has made the demand higher than ever. Hanna said she expects interest to grow for many years.
“We are seeing such a steady enrollment and steady application increase of our BSNs (Bachelor of Science and Nursing) as well as our graduate students for our upper division,” Hanna said. “I really think we are going to see a steady enrollment and a probably a steady increase.”
Hanna said the school’s employment rate currently sits at about 99 percent, Hanna said graduates that took the exam to become a registered nurse also had a 99 percent pass rate.
