SCC Nursing Program Made Noise in 2008 on Orlando Medical News

SCC Nursing Program Made Noise in 2008

By: LYNNE JETER

SCC nursing graduates before the annual Pinning Ceremony on June 19.

Big Draws: Men and … Jeopardy!?

In 2008, Seminole Community College (SCC) made plenty of noise in the medical community.

The school's nursing program saw an influx of male students, thanks to Partners for a Healthy Community (PHC)'s catchy campaign "Are You Man Enough to be a Nurse?" that kicked off last April during the men's NCAA basketball finals to address Central Florida's nursing shortage.

"The men who have declared nursing as their major jumped from 32 last fall to 58 this fall," said Molly Yanni, career program adviser for SCC's nursing department, adding she's also seen a drastic increase in phone calls from men interested in the program. "Seeing other men who are already in the field has caused more men to think about nursing as a career."

Daniel Prieto, a 21-year-old nursing student from Apopka, said he initially planned to go to medical school and figured nursing as a major would be a good choice for early immersion in the healthcare field.

"But then I actually got into nursing … and I love it," said Prieto. "I could be a nurse for the rest of my life, and I wouldn't mind."

Steve Olah, a 41-year-old electrician from Deltona, decided to study nursing after pals encouraged him.

"I have several friends who are nurses, including a couple of male nurses," he said. "They said, 'You'd be good at it,' so I decided to go for it."

Money was a major factor in switching careers, Olah admitted.

"The money is good; there's no way around that," he said. "I can get a job pretty much anywhere across the country. I'm not terribly concerned about a recession."

Both students are pursuing associate's nursing degrees through SCC's concurrent enrollment program with the University of Central Florida (UCF). Also, SCC, with its main campus in Sanford, has already expanded its nursing programs at the Altamonte Springs campus, which opened last January. (SCC also has campuses in Oviedo and Heathrow.)

Olah plans to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) and work in an intensive care unit or emergency department. Even though he continues weighing his options for medical school, Prieto appreciates the more hands-on role of the nurse.

"It's really amazing how you can change the life of someone by the little details of what you do as a nurse, like walking into a room and holding a patient's hand when she's alone and needs someone to talk to," he explained. "You change that person's day, and that's something great."

And the Question is ...

Ironically perhaps, only one male participated in the SCC nursing student team that won the statewide Jeopardy! competition at the Florida Students Nurses Association (FSNA) convention in Daytona Beach in late October.

Danielle Abukhalaf, Steve Olaf, Carrie Wallace-MacDonald, and Heather Woods competed against 10 teams from nursing schools throughout the state, answering health-related questions and playing for points rather than money. In the final round, SCC knocked off Manatee Community College and the University of South Florida.

Even though winning the competition was fun, "the whole point of this annual convention is that we have a house of delegates, and they propose resolutions," explained Marguerite Abel, a faculty co-advisor for the SCC chapter of the FSNA. "The students do a lot of research to figure out what resolutions they want to put out there. They discuss the pros and cons, and the resolutions get voted on and sent to the National Student Nurses Association and the Florida Nurses Association."

For 2008, six SCC student nurses participated in the house of Delegates—Karen Cedilla, Maria Ortiz, Rachel Chin Quee, Amy Riedy, Melissa Speel and Tina Wisniewski—by weighing resolutions and "exercising the legislative advocacy role in nursing," Abel noted.

Flexing Muscle

In June, SCC reported its largest graduating class of 160, and this fall, its largest RN class of 104. Over the last five years, SCC has nearly tripled the size of its nursing programs. Enrollment in fall 2003 was 108; expected enrollment this spring is 400.

Even more impressive last year, SCC nursing program graduates exceeded state and national averages on their licensure exams, according to the Florida Board of Nursing. During the summer, 89 percent of SCC registered nursing graduates passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), exceeding the state (86 percent) and national (87 percent) averages. SCC's practical nursing graduates also exceeded state (82 percent) and national (87 percent) averages by rating 94 percent on the NCLEX-PN.

"These excellent scores are the result of the faculty's dedication and expertise," said SCC nursing director Cheryl Cicotti.