Amber Dugger of Smyrna has been awarded the Smyrna Rotary StoneCrest Medical Nursing Scholarship for the 2015-16 academic year through the Motlow College Foundation, according to Jan Rogers, Motlow's director of advancement.
Ms. Dugger is on schedule to graduate from the Motlow RN program in May 2016. She then plans to enter either psychiatric or med-surg nursing as well as pursue her bachelor's degree in nursing and a master's degree in psychiatric nursing.
She has already earned a degree in psychology from MTSU and has previously worked as a mental health assistant/counselor at the Parthenon at Centennial Medical Center. It was her time at Centennial that helped Dugger choose her career path.
"It was after working in the psychiatric hospital at Centennial that I found my calling as a psychiatric nurse," said Dugger. "As a nurse, we are to care for those who cannot care for themselves, and to advocate for those who feel they have no voice.
"To continue to put your clients' needs ahead of your own and to keep their best interests at heart; this is what it means to be a nurse and this is the nurse that I will become."
The Smyrna Rotary Club and StoneCrest Medical Center have partnered for many years to support the Motlow College nursing program by funding a scholarship which awards $1,250 per semester for a student 25 years or older who graduated from a Rutherford County high school. Dugger is a graduate of LaVergne High School.
Motlow College's nursing program recently learned that all 51 of its 2015 graduates passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), giving the College a best-in-the-state 100 percent pass rate.
Motlow nursing students regularly excel at the NCLEX. The nursing program often leads the state with pass rates that are among the best in the nation. With a perfect pass rate in 2015, Motlow again leads state and national averages and remains a leader for nursing programs in Tennessee and the United States.
Interested individuals who want to know more about Motlow's nursing program are encouraged to review the program information materials on the website at www.mscc.edu/nursing. For additional information or assistance, please call 931-393-1628 to schedule an appointment.
The Motlow College Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Anyone wishing to donate to the Foundation should contact Jan Rogers, director of advancement, at jrogers@mscc.edu or 931-393-1692.
