Laurel Rhyne remembers the very first time she heard about generative artificial intelligence. It was December 18, 2022. She was listening to a National Public Radio story in her car while crossing the Market Street Bridge. “The focus was all on plagiarism and what it was going to do for higher ed,” explained Rhyne, an associate lecturer in the UTC College of Nursing. “What I saw was so much more. “Our whole world is going to change.”
UTC officially launches College of Nursing
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has officially launched the College of Nursing, elevating one of the University’s longest-standing and most impactful academic programs to college status. With nearly 1,000 students enrolled across undergraduate and doctoral programs, the College of Nursing becomes UTC’s fifth academic college.
Sisters saving lives
Sisters Amber Honea and Alexis Murray have found their place helping others. The UTC alums are working as nurses for their respective hospitals in Chattanooga. Honea, who received a BSN from UTC in 2014 and an MSN in 2021, is an acute care nurse practitioner with the pulmonology and critical care department at Erlanger Hospital. Murray, who earned a BSN in 2019, is currently enrolled in the DNP program and works at CommonSpirit Memorial Hospital Chattanooga as an ICU floating nurse.
Taking nursing where it’s needed: AHEAD-RN program prepares students for rural impact
Through the AHEAD-RN traineeship led by Dr. Brooke Epperson, associate director of the School of Nursing and the undergraduate program coordinator, eight nursing students are diving into the realities of rural health care. They’re learning that providing quality care in these communities isn’t just about medical skills—it’s about adaptability, cultural sensitivity and resourcefulness in environments where health care access can be severely limited.
Beyond the hospital: UTC nursing aids Hamilton County corrections
The Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center now serves as an unconventional classroom for nursing students at UTC. Now in its fourth semester, this jail rotation is a crucial component of the community nursing course—the result of a partnership between the School of Nursing and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. Small groups of students assist the jail’s clinical staff with health assessments, vital signs and lab work, gaining insights that extend beyond nursing basics.
Critical moments, confident leaders: UTC paving the way in CRNA education
In surgery, it’s not just the surgeon’s hands that matter. As patients “go under,” the nurse anesthetist takes command, managing the delicate line between unconsciousness and stability. At UTC, CRNA expertise is cultivated with care, preparing future nurse anesthetists to handle operating room pressures with confidence and skill.
ROAD MAP to health care for rural seniors
Older adults living in rural Tennessee counties are at a higher risk for developing chronic diseases, cognitive disorders and poor health outcomes due to a lack of access to health care, continuity of treatment and resources. A grant awarded to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga School of Nursing aims to mitigate those risks by delivering health care and social services professionals to rural communities.
Grant funds work on ‘Breaking Down Barriers to Care’
Tonya Morgan, Alexa Allen and Logan Zumbrun are among the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga DNP students in the Family Nurse Practitioner-Lifespan concentration directly benefiting from a $2.6-million grant awarded to the UTC School of Nursing from the Health Resources and Services Administration—the primary federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, geographically isolated and economically or medically vulnerable.
Piggin’ out: Pork ribs help nursing students learn proper surgical procedures
From On Call, a publication of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga School of Nursing: “I went to Main Street Meats, and I’m talking to the guy behind the counter,” said Dr. Christi Denton, assistant professor in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga School of Nursing. “He said, ‘Are you looking for beef or pork ribs?’ and I said, ‘I don’t know. I’m a vegetarian. What’s more like human?’”
Seeking the thrill of the next bumpy ride
From On Call, a publication of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga School of Nursing: Jason Peter was 4 when he rode his first rollercoaster—Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World in Florida. “I remember screaming, and I remember we had to go on it several times,” he recalled. Several times because he wanted to ride it again and again.