To the Editor:

As the original director of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Wallace Community College, I was pleased to see the picture in the paper indicating that the Vaughan Regional Medical Center was recruiting the class that will be completing the program this spring.

The average citizen in this area does not realize the value of this program. A federal grant was given to the college in 1972 to help fill the desperate need for registered nurses not only in Dallas County but all of the 10 counties in our area.

The original program was an Upward Mobility Program, which admitted licensed practical nurses and was designed to assist them in obtaining their license as a registered nurse in one year.

This program was very successful and for many years was the top school in the state of Alabama.

Both the Selma Medical Center and the Vaughan Medical Center (now the Vaughan Regional Medical Center) were strong supporters of this program and continue to offer scholarships to students as well as offering opportunities for employment for these graduates.

Later, the typical two-year associate degree program was added, keeping the mobility program in place. These programs were both accredited by the National League for Nursing during my tenure at the school.

Mrs. Casey and the faculty and staff are to be commended in maintaining the high level of nursing education that is offered to these students.

The faculty in the program are all master’s prepared registered nurses who have worked as staff nurses and have the knowledge and skills to prepare students to enter the nursing field.

There is currently another lack of registered nurses in our state. This condition makes it even more critical for the associate degree nursing program to continue the outstanding work that they have exhibited in the past. My “hat is off to them” for the outstanding job they are doing.

Martha R. Owen, RN