Nashville State Community College receives grant to fund instructor search

Nashville State Community College has received a grant that will help it acquire a new instructor to teach Central Sterile Processing. The grant comes from the Tennessee Hospital Association’s Healthcare Collaborative, which focuses on bolstering Tennessee’s healthcare via a strong pipeline from healthcare education to healthcare jobs.

According to an article on Nashville State Community College’s website, John Cunningham, who serves as the college’s Center for Workforce Development and Continuing Education’s Director of Healthcare Partnerships, shared his enthusiasm about the grant funding. He is quoted as saying, “Nashville State is at the local forefront of preparing students to meet the critical healthcare needs of our growing regions. This grant allows us to continue to expand our work in providing hands-on education in a vital and important field.”

The $50,000 grant will help Nashville State Community College hire a new instructor to teach Central Sterile Processing, which involves keeping hospitals, operating rooms, and other medical facilities clean and safe through the correct sterilization processes and handling methods for surgical instruments. Nashville State Community College’s Central Sterile Processing program is available both to students who are seeking to obtain a college degree, and those who are upskilling, for example, like employees at Vanderbilt University.

Nashville State Community College has been working in partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Center for Programs in Allied Health in order to address the state’s healthcare shortages. The partnership between the two institutions involves Nashville State Community College providing training to help employees of Vanderbilt University Medical Center to improve upon their current healthcare skills and progress in the industry.

Dr. Peggy Valentine, who serves as the vice president for Allied Health Education at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, explained how Nashville State Community college receiving this grant funding to improve its capacity for teaching will help Vanderbilt University succeed, as well. Valentine is quoted as saying, “We are fully committed to supporting Nashville State in implementing this initiative. This opportunity will further enhance our collaborative relationship while meeting a crucial need for faculty to provide quality education in sterile processing. Approval of this proposal will support our urgent need for these skilled health professionals.”

For more information about Nashville State Community College, visit the school’s website.