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LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR ANNOUNCEMENTS STAYING NIMBLE STILL (MOSTLY) THE SAME UTC TAKES SPECIFIC STEPS TO KEEP CAMPUS SAFE LIFE BEHIND A MASK TEACHING ON THE FRONT LINES SUBSTITUTING SIMULATIONS STAYING IN TOUCH REACHING OUT ALUMNI NOTES UTC.EDU/NURSING
letter from the DIRECTOR
ON CALL director Christine Benz Smith editors George Heddleston and Gina Stafford writers Sarah Joyner, Shawn Ryan and Chuck Wasserstrom creative director Stephen Rumbaugh graphic designer Courtney Muller
WELCOME! Never in my professional life would I have imagined being involved in a pandemic. We all had concerns about the next “superbug” that would render common antibiotics useless. But a virus? That was not on our radar. We have been thinking about COVID-19 for almost a year now, and our world has been turned completely upside down. Our students returned this fall to masks and social distancing on campus, yet they are learning and working in classes and in clinical sites. At times, we must be quick to adjust where the students will be for their clinical experiences as units, and outpatient centers may close due to exposures. Students and faculty are getting used to the new fashion accessory for their uniforms— N95s, goggles and face masks. We know all about our students’ general health each day as they respond to questions about symptoms and possible exposure. Once on campus, students sit in the same place in class and have assigned groups for simulation and skills lab each week. All meetings, whether the Student Nurses Association, Sigma or faculty are held virtually. Yet this pandemic has provided students a front-row seat to a public-health crisis and how Nursing is a critical part of the effort to quell this out-of-control virus. Students and faculty are supporting efforts on campus to help with contact tracing and administering influenza vaccine. As the country tries to move forward with our efforts related to COVID-19, we remain cognizant that the importance of racial equality in this country cannot take a backseat to this medical pandemic. In light of the many medical and psychological stressors on our campus, mental health checks for our students and employees are very important. The good news in all of this is that we feel that with the challenges we face from a medical and societal viewpoint, our students, faculty and staff are doing as well as can be expected. After all, we are in a profession that takes these challenges seriously and we rise to the occasion. We will keep you updated on our progress.
photographers Angela Foster contact: Chris-Smith@utc.edu
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Christine Benz Smith, Ph.D., FNP-BC Director of the UTC School of Nursing 2020
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ANNOUNCEMENTS NEW FACULTY Megan England has joined the staff in the School of Nursing, working on the Clinical-Academic Network for Developing Leaders grant, or CANDL, with the goal of forming innovative academicpractice partnerships. She has worked as a nurse practitioner in the Pediatric Emergency Room at the Children’s Hospital at Erlanger as well as a nurse practitioner at Erlanger Primary Care on Lookout Mountain and in Ringgold, both in Georgia. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Kennesaw State University in Atlanta and her Master of Family Nurse Clinician at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tenn. Rachel Nall has been appointed as the Nurse Anesthesia Simulation Coordinator in the School of Nursing. She is a graduate of UTC, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing. Since earning her certification as a nurse anesthetist, she has worked with Anesthesia Consultants Exchange at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga. Her anesthesia focus has been in pediatrics, cardiothoracic, orthopedic trauma, general, neuroskeletal and gastroenterology. Having earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, her first job was freelance writing for various health news outlets and pharmaceutical companies. Laura Tyndall joins the faculty as the Assistant Program Coordinator for the Nurse Anesthesia Concentration. Dr. Tyndall earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alabama Huntsville, a certificate from the Erlanger School of Anesthesia and her Master of Science in Nursing and Doctorate of Nursing Practice from UTC. She has served as adjunct faculty for the program for many years. Prior to joining the School of Nursing faculty, she was employed by Anesthesiology Consultants Exchange, P.C. at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, where her focus was in orthopedics. She has served as a preceptor for UTC students and recently was the clinical coordinator, a joint appointment with Erlanger and the UTC School of Nursing.
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From the RN-C ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR As associate director of the School of Nursing, I have the pleasure to work with a faculty that is devoted to providing quality education as we prepare future nurses. Our students rise to the challenge and work diligently in order to transition into the profession. This hard work is evidenced by a 98% first time NCLEX pass rate for academic year 2019-2020. The success is due to the dedication and hard work from both the students and faculty who are developing students who are practice ready. Even though these students are in a rigorous program, our May 2020 exit interviews indicate that 100% of them would recommend the UTC School of Nursing. As with the rest of the world, the pandemic caused some changes within the school. Our focus continues to be providing a quality education in a safe environment. Some of the changes made across the UTC campus are social distancing in the classroom, self-checks before coming to campus, wearing face masks while on campus and a cleaning regimen before and after each class. Within the School of Nursing, more changes occurred in order to mitigate exposure. Each student was provided N95 masks, a face shield and goggles to complement the hospital PPE used in clinicals. In simulation experiences, the students wear face shields and masks and limit the time in close proximity to each other. During lab time, the students work in pairs instead of large groups. Specific practice times in the lab have been assigned to reduce exposure and allow for cleaning before and after equipment use. The students have been very flexible to these changes. The faculty have been supportive and adaptable as well. If students are ill or quarantined, they may still attend their classes remotely, ensuring that no one falls behind. The faculty mentors have had extra meetings with their student mentee to provide support during these uncertain times. As we plan for the future, our goal is to maintain a tradition of excellence. We will strive to provide the quality education UTC School of Nursing that preceded us for over 40 years. Yet we will be adaptable and responsive to the ever-changing environment. —Angel Collier, DNP, RN-C Associate Director UTC.EDU/NURSING
FACULTY AND STAFF STANDOUTS UTC OUTSTANDING OUTREACH AWARD Susan Davidson was the recipient of the Outstanding Outreach Award for 2019-20. She was nominated for her work with the Chattanooga Community Kitchen’s Bloom Project, which provides feminine hygiene products to homeless and underserved women in our community. She also has volunteered with the HumanAnimal Bond in Tennessee program in which she and her Great Dane Henry work with veteran students at UTC, providing pet therapy.
SCHOOL OF NURSING OUTSTANDING FACULTY MEMBER 2019-20 Paula Jo Peters was chosen by her fellow faculty as the 2019-20 Outstanding Faculty in the School of Nursing. Peters has been a clinical assistant professor since 2018. She earned a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Nursing, both focusing on nursing education. At UTC, her main focus is in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, where she focuses on courses in Nursing Fundamentals and Nursing Systems VI: Care of the Adult with Acute Health Deviations Clinical. She also teaches pathophysiology and pharmacology for second- and fifth-level students. Peters works to keep her courses unique by using iClicker technology to engage students. Congratulations to a deserving faculty member.
BLUE RIBBON RECIPIENT Yasmine Key was chosen as the recipient of the Blue Ribbon Award, an honor given to one staff employee each month. Nominees are reviewed by a committee appointed by Chancellor Steve Angle. The Blue Ribbon Award winner exhibits outstanding service to others. For her work with the COVID-19 Campus Support Team, Key was the well-deserved winner for August.
CHOSEN FOR STATE COVID-19 TASK FORCE Kristi Wick, Vicki Gregg Chair in gerontology, has been appointed by Tennessee Commissioner of Health Lisa Piercey to serve on the Tennessee COVID-19 Long-Term Care Task Force. Wick was chosen because of her community involvement with the geriatric population as well as her efforts in getting COVID-19 testing for this group. The charge of the task force is to implement new policy solutions to address both immediate and future issues impacting long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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College of Health and Human Performance
Outstanding Advisor Bernadette DePrez was chosen from multiple nominations for the recognition. She is student-focused and took on leadership roles within the School of Nursing very early in her academic career. She makes improvements to her program on a regular basis. She does what she says she is going to do and is friendly and easy to work with. 2020
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Top 15 RANKING
The online site Nursing Process ranked the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Bachelor of Science Nursing as No.12 in the Southeast for 2020. It has been ranked after closely evaluating 731 nursing programs across the region. The rankings can be seen at: nursingprocess.org/best-bsnprograms-southeast/. Nursing Process provides nursing students with education and career information to help make better choices. The site reaches out to more than 100,000 students every month across the country.
10-YEAR
ACCREDITATION EARNED From bachelor to doctoral degrees, all programs of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga School of Nursing earned a 10-year accreditation by the National Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The accreditation—which includes bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate's in nursing practice degree programs—was granted by the CCNE Board of Commissioners is effective through June 30, 2030. The CCNE Board found that UTC Nursing met all four accreditation standards. Three involve program quality: assessing mission and governance; institutional commitment and resources; and curriculum and teaching-learning practices. The fourth standard, program effectiveness, involves assessment and achievement of program outcomes. The board also found no compliance concerns. “The School of Nursing wishes to thank all of our students, faculty, staff and community partners who participated in this very important review of our programs,” said Chris Smith, director of the School of Nursing and UTC chief health affairs officer. “This accreditation ensures all current and future students that the UTC School of Nursing’s programs adhere to the highest standards delivering a quality program."
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LIGHTING THE CANDL In 2019, the School of Nursing was awarded the $2.2 million Clinical Academic Network for Developing Leaders (CANDL) grant. Given by Health Resources and Services Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the grant runs from July 2019 until June 2023, and has multiple goals: • To prepare family nurse practitioner students to be practice-ready upon graduation; • To form innovative academic-practice partnerships in the community; • To address social factors that impact health in underserved populations and the chronic health conditions that can affect those groups; • To develop and integrate the use of simulation into the program using patient actors. By achieving these goals, nurse practitioner students will have both knowledge and hands-on experience so they are ready to immediately begin working in underserved communities whose residents may develop chronic medical conditions at a higher rate than other areas. Students will learn how to address those medical problems as well as promote health and wellness for their patients. “The CANDL grant is allowing the nurse practitioner students to be wellprepared to integrate academic and clinical learning and to provide quality, evidence based, culturally-inclusive care for underserved populations,” says Amber Roache, coordinator of the nurse practitioner program in the School of Nursing at UTC.
LEADER OF DISTINCTION Deborah Deal, BSN ’89, and Chief Nurse Executive of Parkridge Health System, was named Nurse Leader of Distinction at the Tennessee Hospital Association meeting. She earned her Master of Science in Health Services Administration from the University of St. Francis and is currently enrolled in the Doctorate of Nursing Practice: Nursing Administration Program at UTC. She anticipates graduating in 2021.
National Attention for Master’s Program The Master of Science in Nursing program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is one of the Top 25 in the country in 2020, according to an education website. Gradreports.com ranked UTC’s program at No. 25 on the list, which is based entry-level salaries for graduates and uses U.S. Department of Education data from more than 5 million graduates. “We are honored to be identified as a top 25 Master of Science in Nursing program,” said Chris Smith, director of the School of Nursing. “Our Family and Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner concentrations consistently have a 100% pass rate on the certification exam, while the Nurse Anesthesia concentration is over 90 percent. “The success of the students is directly attributed to a dedicated fulltime and adjunct faculty along with our clinical preceptor partners who work to make sure each student is practice-ready. These are the reasons for the program’s success.” UTC.EDU/NURSING
RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE
Mary B. Jackson Award recipient Hannah Frost and the Director of the School of Nursing Chris Smith
The BSN Class of December 2020 had its “socially distant” Honors and Recognition Ceremony on Nov. 18, 2020 in the University Center Auditorium. Due to COVID-19, we were unable to have guests at this very important ceremony, and masks were required for all in the auditorium. The event was livestreamed so family and friends could watch. At the ceremony, Hannah Frost was given the Mary B. Jackson Award, which was voted on by her classmates. Congratulations to Hannah and the entire BSN Class of 2020. Good luck on your NCLEX!
VIRTUAL RECOGNITION
100% PASS RATE Early in 2020, every University of Tennessee at Chattanooga nursing graduate who took the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) in 2020 passed it. That success also brought a 100% pass rate for UTC-graduate nurses in each of the last three testing periods. “The NCLEX exam is a very challenging standardized test that every state regulatory board uses to determine if graduates are ready to become licensed and then work as practice-ready entry level nurses. This means nurses who have passed the exam have demonstrated knowledge that qualifies them to give direct patient care, take on leadership roles, provide education for patients and their families and, most importantly, serve as an advocate. As BSN-prepared graduates, our students provide holistic care for patients, their families and the communities in which they live,” said UTC School of Nursing Director Chris Smith. “Both our faculty and our students are committed to achieving excellence in preparation for careers in the field of nursing, and a third consecutive 100% pass rate on the NCLEX is compelling and objective proof of that commitment. All are to be commended for their dedication,” she said. Since 2007, 25 cohorts of UTC nursing graduates have taken the NCLEX and 12 of those groups have achieved a 100% first-time pass rate. The overall first-time pass rate for all UTC 25 cohorts is 97%.
Following a virtual White Coat Ceremony for friends and family via Zoom, the Bachelor of Science Nursing class of Fall 2022 gathered with masks for a quick picture in October. Please note that social distancing was maintained at all other times. You can see the recording of the ceremony on YouTube. Search for UTC White Coat Ceremony 2020.
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Stay A
lthough students are spread out for social distancing and wearing face masks, teaching in a classroom can be just as nerve-wracking for the professor as the students. Linda Hill knows. Linda Hill is doing it. Linda Hill tells students that, “Hey, we’re just like you.” “It’s very anxiety-provoking to many people. Your faculty members are certainly not. They’re probably
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just as anxious as you are,” says Hill, coordinator for graduate courses in the nurse anesthesia program who teaches several face-to-face classes. Adding to the stress are the extra steps that faculty must take when teaching in a classroom, she says. “Setting up for each day’s lecture is cumbersome technically as well as making certain all the safety measures are being followed carefully,” she says. With classes thrown into a whirlwind due to COVID-19, professors across campus are dealing with new and sometimes difficult realities. Some, like Hill, teach courses face-to-face. Laurel Rhyne, lecturer UTC.EDU/NURSING
ying Nimble IN-CLASS, ONLINE ONLY, A COMBO OF EACH: TEACHING IN A COVID WORLD BY SHAWN RYAN
in the School of Nursing, has a blend of in-class and online courses. Christi Denton-Weber, also a lecturer in the school, is all online. Each method has its own goods and bads.
Hybrid
The courses that Rhyne teaches—senior-level Professional Nursing and Medical-Surgical Nursing II— are in a hybrid format. Some face-to-face; some online. Quizzes, case studies and exams are the same whether in class or online, but there’s more flexibility online. UTC.EDU/NURSING
“The advantage to teaching hybrid allows for obstacles such as childcare, snow days and quarantine to be avoided,” she says. “I am a huge fan of faceto-face but am so incredibly thankful to have the ability to use the hybrid model as it allows information transfer and learning vital material to continue uninterrupted.” Still, it is “challenging” to be an instructor for an online course, she says, and it’s even more challenging in nursing, especially for students. “Communal learning and support is tremendously important in our program,” she says. “It is incredibly 2020
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Christi Denton-Weber
helpful to be in one space so that there is an ability (and comfort) to ask questions/clarification and for all to learn from it. “For me personally, with limited visual connection to the students, it is hard to keep up the energy level during dense content delivery. This, in turn, can have a negative impact on student engagement and learning. I do try to stay cognizant of this and try to change my delivery but again, it can be challenging.” Denton-Weber teaches two
diminished. However, the content of the class remains just as it would be delivered in a face-to-face scenario,” she says. Online classes are taught live, giving students the chance to ask questions, but the courses’ information is available through online sources whenever the student needs to access it, she notes, “allowing students to participate together as well as consume information in a timeframe that is best suited to their lives.”
reduced by teaching face-to-face labs. “As an educator, there is nothing like seeing a student have a ‘light bulb’ moment where ideas coalesce.” She has personal experience with taking courses that are totally online; she has them as she earns her doctor of nursing practice. “As an online doctoral student myself, I can attest to the benefits on a personal level. I am a full-time educator, part-time clinician and full-time mom. The flexibility of online learning has allowed me to be a full-time student as well.” In the end, though, whether courses are face-to-face or online, everyone on campus—teachers and students and staff—face many of the same problems. Everyone needs to work together to get through these times, Hill says. “Just do the things you’re supposed to do,” she says. “We’re like a small town on this campus and we’re going to have to take care of each other.”
“As an educator, there is nothing like seeing a student have a ‘light bulb’ moment where ideas coalesce.” master’s level courses—Advanced Physical Assessment and Advanced Critical Care—and both are totally online. She thinks the set-up is excellent, but some think it’s not. “There is an implication that the quality of online learning experiences is compromised and
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There are, however, some drawbacks for her, mostly in the lack of getting to know students on a one-to-one basis. “I love getting to know students, chatting with them about their experiences, learning about them on a deeper level,” she says. Some of that distance is
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STILL (MOSTLY) THE SAME
NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED FOR STUDENTS IN CLINICALS BY SARAH JOYNER
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iva Tran has just finished her second day of clinicals as a firsttime nursing student when she joins the Zoom session. She pauses long enough to flash a large smile before launching into her description of the past two days spent at CHI Memorial Hospital Hixson.
“It was amazing. Every single nurses, we can’t be like, ‘There’s a one of us loved it,” she says, pandemic. I’m just going to take I kept telling people referencing fellow first-level off.’ That’s not going to happen. I students in the class. feel like we definitely needed the that I was still going “We all learned something. exposure.” into nursing and they Yesterday we were trying to get Comparing the fall semester’s the gist of just being in that hallway, clinical experience to those in all seemed surprised, knowing where everything is, the past, more precautions are with everything going now in place, she says. Students learning to talk to the patients. Today was about being more wear goggles and N95 respiratory on. It’s pretty scary, comfortable and not doubting masks during their shift; they must but somebody’s got to remember each room they’ve been yourself.” But Tran, a native of Dayton, in for contact-tracing purposes, and do it.” Tennessee, admits that the months some patient rooms are off-limits. leading up to this moment hadn’t But overall, not a lot has changed, been so amazing. “Nerve-wracking” she says. is how she describes them. “I feel like, honestly, it’s the same “I kept telling people that I was still going into as before COVID-19 happened,” Germany says. “Our nursing and they all seemed surprised, with everything teachers know a little more about it. They’re making going on,” she explains. “It’s pretty scary, but sure we’re protected, and they’re protected.” somebody’s got to do it.” Tran transferred to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the spring after taking advantage of Tennessee Promise to earn a tuition-free associate’s degree from Chattanooga State Community College. She was knocking out her final prerequisites for the nursing program last spring when classes were moved online. Although she says the experience wasn’t all bad, she did not want to relive it in the fall and was nervous about what her first semester as a nursing student would look like. “I did not want to do nursing school online at all,” Tran explains. “So, I really appreciate that UTC did everything they could to keep us in class.” Fourth-level nursing student Chyna Germany, agrees. “I think we really need to be in a clinical setting,” Chyna Germany she says. “Because, realistically, when we become
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UTC takes specific steps to
KEEP CAMPUS SAFE BY SHAWN RYAN
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o be able to offer a program that requires a great deal of one to one student and faculty work takes a good deal of planning in a normal academic year. Knowing that, the School of Nursing administrators were unsure if students would be able to return to campus for the 2020 Fall Semester because of the impact of COVID-19. In March, an all-out assault on the virus began. With more than five months of planning with multiple meetings every day, and thousands of hours spent on writing an implementation plan, the school became more and more sure the students could return. In addition to the implementation team whose sole charge was to get the campus ready, Dawn Ford, executive director for the Walker Center for Teaching and Learning, was asked to serve as the chief epidemiologist, while Yasmine Key, director of University Health and faculty in the School of Nursing was tapped to lead the testing and patient management response. Chris Smith, director of the School of Nursing and chief health affairs officer split her time between the school and managing the team whose sole purpose was to keep students, faculty and staff safe on campus. “A key part of our COVID response plan is contact tracing in coordination with the Hamilton County Health Department,” said Ford. “To conduct contact tracing efficiently, we have recruited and trained many UTC volunteers and hired staff to investigate positive cases 7 days a week to ensure a safe campus environment.” The senior students in their Community Health course served as contact tracers with the guidance of Susan Thul (see related story on “Contact Tracing”),
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associate professor in the graduate studies faculty. They also administered flu shots to the campus community. Other students in the school volunteered with the county health department and at local churches to give the immunizations working with Clinical Assistant Professor LaTisha Toney, Senior Lecturer Kelli Hand and Clinical Assistant Professor Brooke Epperson. Key reports that University Health Services has significantly increased its testing efforts and “is providing COVID-19 testing with a quick turnaround, which has been important to minimize the time missed at work or school as well as to quickly identify community members who may need to be isolated or quarantined.” This has benefitted some faculty and students who have been exposed to COVID-19 through clinical experiences. Smith adds that quarantining for 14 days or more can significantly impact the students’ time in their clinical experiences. Having testing available to all students and faculty on campus with results in 24-48 hours has been very positive for our students UTC.EDU/NURSING
and faculty as very few have had to miss a significant number of clinical hours. Among the other steps taken to ensure a safe campus for all students, faculty and staff are: • $7.4 million invested in protections to ensure compliance with COVID-19 protocols. • Metro classrooms, and skills labs were totally reconfigured to meet social distancing standards. • Personal protective equipment was purchased for the nursing students and faculty in the event clinical sites did not have sufficient supplies. • Students, faculty and staff were required to complete a person self-check each day as well as those for the clinical agencies in which they were assigned. • Face masks are required at all times and in all places, whether student, faculty, staff or visitor. • Anyone with a positive COVID test is placed in isolation for a minimum of 10 days. • Anyone who has come in close contact with someone who tested positive is quarantined for 14 days. • The School of Nursing offered three types of classes: face-to-face in classrooms with social distancing, online only and classes that are a combination of both. • Students and faculty are required to disinfect classrooms and the labs after every time in the space, and extensive cleaning and disinfected protocols are in place across campus. • Signs are posted around campus and in the Metro Building indicating how to maintain appropriate physical distance from others. • All who come into Metro follow an entry and exit plan for each classroom. • To limit elevator capacity, those on campus are asked to take the stairs if able. • An online Dashboard of Open Cases, Closed Cases, Open Quarantine Cases and Closed Quarantine Cases is updated daily, Monday-Friday to keep the community informed. Because of the tremendous UTC.EDU/NURSING
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We don’t know what the Spring will bring... but we will be ready no matter what.
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efforts of the students, faculty and staff in the School of Nursing, and across campus, students were able to complete the Fall 2020 semester on campus and in their clinical sites. “We don’t know what the Spring will bring because of the resurgence of the virus, but we will be ready no matter what”, says Smith. “We had a great practice run in the Fall and worked through some issues. We will be able to handle whatever comes next. After all, we are educating those who will be responsible for helping us get through this pandemic and anything else that may come next so we can’t let up now.” The Fall 2020 task force report can be found at: utc.edu/Fall-2020-TaskForce-Committee-Final-Report.
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a Mask L
eah Barrett Collins wants people to see her smile, but it’s almost impossible from behind a face mask. She’s trying, though.
SMILING, TALKING, CONNECTING IS TOUGHER WITH FACE MASKS BY SHAWN RYAN
“I smile at people so much, I’ve had to make a conscious effort to crinkle my eyes more because they can’t see me smiling,” she says. As administrative coordinator in the School of Nursing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Collins sits behind the front desk at the entrance to the nursing building, so she’s usually the first person anyone sees when they enter. In these days of COVID-19, that adds an extra level of effort to her daily tasks. “Being stationed here, I’m kind of the traffic person and the greeter person and the you-don’t-know-whereyou’re-going person so let me explain it to you,” she says. Getting used to the mask hasn’t been as difficult as she expected, “but it’s definitely an adjustment.” In the School of Nursing, she’s not the only one living life in a mask. Staff, students and faculty are all dealing with the same situation and all have the same endgame: Communication. Linda Hill, coordinator for graduate courses in the nurse anesthesia program, teaches several face-to-face classes with students in the room. While she and her students have learned the realities of masks, wearing them still has its issues. One is that speaking from behind a mask makes them sound like their mouths are packed with cotton. “I laughingly tell my students, ‘I can’t hear what you’re saying because this mask is making me deaf,’’’ says Hill. Vadim Barva, a first-level nursing student, works as a nurse’s aide at CHI Memorial Hospital, so wearing a mask wasn’t a stretch for him. “We wear our masks for 12-hour shifts, so I was wellprimed before nursing school,” says Barva, who started his first semester in August. Still, he admits it took some time to get used to wearing a mask when he wasn’t at work. “Even though it may have felt as though I couldn’t breathe at times, it was necessary to keep it on to try and keep everyone safe,” he explains. “But if it was ever too much, simply stepping outside and getting some fresh air always helped.”
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Teaching on the
FRONT LINES BY CHUCK WASSERSTROM
GUIDING STUDENTS IN CLINICAL SETTINGS MEANS WORRIES FOR INSTRUCTORS, TOO Brooke Epperson
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s an assistant professor in the School of Nursing, Brooke Epperson is dedicated to keeping her students out of dangerous situations during their clinicals. 16
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As a registered nurse in her own clinical practice—primarily in the emergency room—she often finds herself tending to infected patients. Toeing both sides of the line during COVID-19 gives her a unique perspective of life as a nurse. “My view of the situation and the pandemic is different than some others from the anxiety level because I’ve seen it in life, in person, at the bedside for the
last few months,” Epperson says. “Not that it’s not scary, because it is—and I don’t want to sound I’m like I’m desensitized to it to any degree—but it’s more manageable to me because I’ve dealt with it. “I’m not worried about catching it because I’ve been around it so much. I’m more protective of my students than I am of myself because I’ve come into interaction with it so much now.” UTC.EDU/NURSING
At the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Epperson teaches level-four undergraduate research along with taking level-one students on twice-weekly clinicals to CHI Memorial Hospital Hixson. At least once each week, she can be found at Tennova Healthcare Cleveland in neighboring Bradley County as a bedside staff nurse. In her dual roles, Epperson has witnessed and participated in what nurses have been going through since mid-March. “I think what I have been
want to pick up the slack. Every time I’m there, I feel like I need to do a little bit more. “The biggest positive coming out of this—and I’m seeing this both as a faculty member taking students and in my own practice—is nurses taking care of each other.” Her School of Nursing colleague, UTC lecturer Connie Uffalussy, also shares the distinction of being a faculty member who continues to do clinical practices. Uffalussy has spent nearly
of the job. “If you’re a nurse, you are exposed to potentially all kinds of organisms out there,” she says. “When people come into the hospital with the flu, we still have to treat them with personal protective equipment and droplet precautions. As long as you follow protocols, you should be OK.” Uffalussy is an instructor in medical/surgical clinical rotations at UTC as well as a level-four leadership class. She also works as nurse in the intensive care unit
“If you’re a nurse, you are exposed to potentially all kinds of organisms out there... As long as you follow protocols, you should be OK.” seeing the most over the last few months has been staff exhaustion. The staff, they’re tired. It’s been nonstop since March, and now that we’re going into what we call respiratory season—the flu, pneumonia, changes in season—it’s going to get worse,” she says. “But as far as camaraderie and working together, that has always been there. You see your coworkers’ struggles and you can’t help but UTC.EDU/NURSING
40 years in the field, including experience as a nursing director supervising two medical/surgical floors at Erlanger Hospital. She has literally been in the trenches, serving in the Army Nurse Corps from 2007-2017 as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves, rising to the rank of captain. With everything Uffalussy has seen, she considers working in a COVID-19 world as being just part
at CHI Memorial Hospital Hixson, saying she finds it vital to continue doing clinical work. “In the medical field, things change all the time, whether it’s equipment, policies, procedures,” Uffalussy says. “I feel like I have a firsthand understanding of what nurses in the hospital think because when I’m working at Memorial, I’m just a regular old staff nurse.”
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SUBSTITUTING Simulations HANDS-ON INSTRUCTION GOES VIRTUAL BY CHUCK WASSERSTROM
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hen COVID-19 first arrived in Chattanooga in March, shutting down face-to-face learning, Jacob Fayiah was anxious about his status in his family nurse practitioner studies.
nursing actions during the virtual simulation scenarios, such as which action they would perform first. “And then we ask them questions if they miss something,” Peters says. “We give them a lot of feedback and a lot of coaching while they are going through their scenarios. “Simulation is where you’re going to apply your skills,” she says. “We continue to look at what is happening in the clinical setting and try to incorporate those scenarios, too.” A dozen different situations were recorded for Fayiah, on track to receive his master’s from the online instruction, with more planned during the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga School of upcoming winter break, she says. Nursing in May 2021, immediately thought of the Brittany Ambers, a nurse for six years who will be ramifications of not being able to go to a simulation lab. receiving her master’s in the family nurse practitioner “I worried a lot, and I was even thinking, ‘They’re concentration in May 2021, compares the virtual going to cancel the whole program, I don’t think we’re simulations with telemedicine appointments. going any further.’ I was actually shocked when they “Simulations by nature are like going to an said they were going to transition online,” he recalls. appointment at a doctor’s office. You put hands on “The first thing I thought was, ‘How am I going to the patient. You’re face-to-face with them. You create assess somebody that I can’t physically touch?’” the environment for the patient,” As Fayiah quickly learned, Ambers says. School of Nursing Simulation “It was hard to imagine how we Coordinator Rosebelle Peters and were going to do that onscreen in Amber Roche, nurse practitioner our own homes, but they made it as program coordinator, had already realistic as they possibly could have been hard at work putting The first thing I for us. What ended up happening is together creative virtual online that it was almost like you’re doing training sessions. Students quickly thought was, ‘How a telemedicine appointment with a found that learning how to ask am I going to assess patient which, in the age of COVID, patients the right questions is to know how to do.” paramount, regardless of being in somebody that I can’t is important Ambers says the virtual world the same room or on Zoom. required some extra practice on the physically touch?’ Simulation educators recorded part of students. In her case, her scenarios and delivered them husband stepped in as a “patient,” online, using what’s known as allowing her to practice specific “decision points.” assessment skills in-person in “Decision points are when conjunction with the online training. you pause a scenario and you “I think doing the simulations talk about what the nurse would virtually has been a benefit for my classmates and do in this situation,” Peters says. “The goal is to me just because you’re still getting the practice with generate critical-thinking opportunities, to generate interviewing patients and building rapport,” Ambers engagement and collaboration among students says. “And, like we do in regular simulation, you have because they can talk among themselves.” faculty watching you do it and giving you feedback Students were asked to choose from a list of
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Jacob Fayiah
“What ended up happening is that it was almost like you’re doing a telemedicine appointment with a patient which, in the age of COVID, is important to know how to do.” afterwards on things you did great on and things to improve on. You’re getting the experience, and you’re still getting the feedback.” As the world and COVID-19 evolve, learning how to build a rapport and assess patients online may turn into a blessing in disguise for those in the nursing profession. “Looking back, I did learn a lot doing the simulations,” Fayiah says. “I could spend a lot of time doing it online because I didn’t have to go on campus; I could stay home and practice, practice, practice. “Even though it wasn’t handson, we were able to achieve what we needed to. I’m so thankful that the school didn’t close down, and that we were able to figure out how to do this online.”
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Brittany Ambers UTC.EDU/NURSING
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STAYING IN TOU STUDENTS HELP WITH CONTACT TRACING CITYWIDE BY SHAWN RYAN
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very day for about a month, Stacey Wong pulled out her smartphone to text and call other students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She wasn’t always calling for a cheerful chat. She wanted to know how the person on the other end was feeling. How they were doing? How did they feel physically and mentally? Was there anything they needed? A fifth-level student in the School of Nursing at UTC, she was a critical element in stopping the spread of COVID-19 through contact tracing, reaching out to people who were either in quarantine or complete isolation after testing positive for the virus. “There is a lot of pressure to make sure it is done correctly because it could affect a lot of people,” Wong says. “It all comes down to making sure you are helping the person who is in isolation or quarantine and making sure to help keep the public safe.” Wong was one of 17 UTC students—nine seniors in nursing, eight in other majors—who performed contract tracing for the Hamilton County Health Department. For nursing students, it also was part of their curriculum in the Tennessee Volunteer Mobilizer Initiative. “This has become part of their clinical rotation in their community health course. This is the optimum experience for a community health nursing student,” says Susan Thul, associate professor for graduatelevel courses in the School of Nursing and the faculty member working with the contract tracing effort at UTC. “In our lifetime, they’ve never gotten the opportunity to see the importance of communityhealth nursing to this degree. I think it makes it even more important that we’re in our own UTC community,” she explains. Alexis Underwood, a fifth-level student in the School of Nursing, says she participated in contact tracing almost every day between Aug. 26 and Oct. 2. Some days were only a few minutes long; some were as much as eight hours, depending on the number of cases she handled.
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Alexis Underwood UTC.EDU/NURSING
UCH “In general, most students were just anxious to get out of quarantine/isolation and wanted to know exactly when they would be out,” she says. Wong says she would talk to as many as 10 people a day. “They usually responded to my call or text on a daily basis. Most of them were thankful for someone checking on them,” she says. Thul also is contact tracing and has talked with students who are not only nervous about the virus, they feel as if they’re stranded on a desert island. “I was talking with a student last night who has done pretty well, but she finally said to me, ‘I’m eight days into this quarantine and I’m having a lot of anxiety.’ She said, ‘I’m just so lonely.’ “I was able to hook her up with the resources of the Counseling Center where they do the Destress Tuesdays and Mindful Mondays, so she can at least work in a group environment virtually to feel like she’s not alone.” Underwood recalled a student who felt both alone and disconnected from everyone. She would talk to him beyond simply asking questions then saying, “Goodbye.” “He preferred for me to call him because he was lonely and bored while in quarantine,” she says. “I can only imagine how lonely it becomes in isolation, so I really felt bad for him and made sure to call him and make conversation to help his loneliness.” Thul points out that some students are freshmen, and it’s the first time they’ve lived away from home, a scary situation in itself. “Imagine the circumstance where you have a student who’s moved into her dorm, away from home. She’s settled in her dorm and then, all of a sudden, she’s told to quarantine on campus,” Thul says. “So now all of sudden she’s taken away from an environment she’s just gotten accustomed to and she’s moved to a whole different environment.” Wong looks at her role in contact tracing as a way to both comfort those who tested positive while keeping them safe at the same time. “I took this very seriously and wanted to make sure I did my part in keeping people safe. I was glad to be a part of something bigger and learned a lot that I can use in my nursing career.”
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Stacy Wong
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Susan Thul
In our lifetime, they’ve never gotten the opportunity to see the importance of community health nursing to this degree. I think it makes it even more important that we’re in our own UTC community.
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REACHING OUT KEEPING AN EYE ON OLDER ADULTS IN THE COMMUNITY
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BY SHAWN RYAN
the Greater Chattanooga Area Food Bank. Students and faculty from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga pitched in, including the School of Nursing, music therapy and social work programs. COVID testing was part of the effort, taking place in public housing communities, senior living facilities and other neighborhoods where older adults congregate, Wick says. More than 500 were tested and, surprisingly, all tests came back negative, she adds. Lack of human contact is an ongoing and critical need for those who are homebound, she says, and it may be the toughest one to address. “We knew we could meet the basic needs, but the isolation piece is the one that we worry about the most,” she explains. “People just give up. They’re “Resources for COVID had to be diverted to the lonely. They haven’t seen their family. They’ve seen tornado, which is understandable,” says Dr. Kristi incredible amounts of death, and some people just Wick. “Things kicked along pretty well until the lose the will to live. tornadoes really ramped things up a lot.” “We’re still really active in trying to deal with this.” Phone, internet and electricity disappeared in the To address the issue: hardest-hit areas, sometimes for • The City of Chattanooga more than a week. No phone calls or created a phone bank and recruited text messages or emails for anyone, volunteers to call older adults. including those 65 years and older. • Bags were made and distributed “How are they getting their health to public housing residents. The bags care without a phone?” asks Wick, All the structure included donations of small activities Vicky B. Gregg chair of gerontology. by local volunteers and books from “How do they know who to contact around COVID the Chattanooga Public Library. if they have health care needs? response was AARP also donated hand sanitizer. Certainly they’re not getting online.” • The Social Isolation Community Even before the tornadoes, Wick building, and there Group sponsored multiple pop-up, had spent weeks scrambling to wasn’t a particular socially distanced events, including make sure older adults got what animal parades, signage, goodie they needed in the Chattanooga group that was bags, entertainment provided by area. Seeing the desperate need, looking at older UTC music therapy students and she became the hub for local dance companies. organizations and others wanting to adults. • The Enterprise Center and help older adults who might not be EPB set up Wi-Fi hotspots in able to fend for themselves during neighborhoods to increase internet the pandemic. She organized daily access for local residents. Zoom meetings to discuss the who, • Local volunteers created door what, when and how of helping the decorations that were delivered and hung at a local elderly with others. nursing home to spread cheer. “All the structure around COVID response was The effort to help senior citizens across the building, and there wasn’t a particular group that was region is ongoing and will continue as long as the looking at older adults,” she says. danger of coronavirus remains, Wick says. Despite Reaching out to those who needed help, she the seemingly never-ending work and moments of worked with more than a dozen groups and confusion, dismay and worry, she says the outreach agencies, including the Hamilton County Health effort has been worth it. Department and Office of Emergency Management, “Looking back, it’s been extremely rewarding,” she the Southeast Area Agency on Aging and Disability, says. “It’s been a community collaboration. It’s not St. Alexius Outreach Ministries, the Partnership for one person. It’s not one entity. It’s everybody really Families, Children and Adults, the United Way and working together.”
hings were going pretty well in the Older Adults Community Task Force. Older adults stuck in their houses to escape COVID-19 infection were getting food and medicines delivered; transportation to doctors and other appointments was provided when needed; social isolation was relieved by phone calls and some socially distanced visits. Then tornadoes hit on Easter Sunday in April.
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AGENCIES IN ADULT OUTREACH PROGRAM • Hamilton County Health Department • Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management • The Southeast Area Agency on Aging and Disability • St. Alexius Outreach Ministries • The Partnership for Families, Children and Adults • Erlanger Behavioral Health Hospital • The Bethlehem Center • The United Way • Hamilton County Medical Society • The Greater Chattanooga Area Food Bank • YMCA Mobile Food Market • The Chattanooga Housing Authority • BlueCross BlueShield • Cigna Healthcare • Galen Medical Group • Chattanooga Public Library • The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga • CHI Memorial Center for Healthy Aging
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alumni NOTES Rachel Harris, BSN ’94, has been named the senior vice president and chief nurse executive for Erlanger Health System. Her nursing experience includes serving as administrator and assistant chief nursing officer of Erlanger East and North hospitals. Her previous responsibilities also included being house supervisor and nurse manager for several of Erlanger's key medical areas, including Heart Failure, Dialysis, Stroke and Surgical Intensive Care Units.
Rhonda Hatfield, BSN ’96, MBA ’00, is the division chief nurse executive for CHI Memorial. In addition to the responsibilities she has for CHI Memorial, she is enrolled in the Doctorate of Business Administration concentration at Trevecca University and anticipates graduating in 2023. Rachel Harris
Taylor Theobold, BSN ’18, was set to get married June 6, but life had other plans. She and her fiancé are now planning for a May 2021 event. One week after officially postponing the wedding, she lost her home in the April tornadoes. Not deterred, she will graduate from Lee University in December 2021, earning her doctor of nursing practice. Working in Erlanger’s Cardiac Step-Down Unit and seeing a tremendous need, she “opened” the Compassion Closet to be used to meet the needs of Erlanger patients who have no clothes appropriate for discharge. To date, the Closet has been able to serve more than 600 people. Taylor earned the Pay-ItForward Award from WTVC/Channel 9 and received $500 to purchase more clothes.
Rhonda Hatfield
newschannel9.com/features/pay-it-forward/ cardiology-nurse-creates-compassion-closet
Cody Harvey, MBA, BSN RN ’15, executive director at Morning Pointe Assisted Living in Chattanooga, found himself in an interesting position. The facility was devastated by the tornadoes that hit East Brainerd in April, forcing the evacuation of a building full of seniors to a safe place in the middle of the night. Morning Pointe is set to reopen in November 2020. Harvey also is working as a nurse at the new Kennedy Outpatient Center at Erlanger Hospital, where he is a gastroenterology nurse in pediatrics.
Laura Williams and Madison Williams, both BSN '14, were in New York City in the spring, working with COVID-19 response. Madison worked in a COVID Intensive Care Unit, and Laura was the House Supervisor in a COVID-19 field hospital. Laura is currently a clinical instructor for the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Nursing.
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Illustration by Penny Weber
Rebecca Beebe, BSN ’19, is an Army nurse officer and lives with her husband in El Paso, Texas. She works on a surgical unit at the military hospital and rotates through the COVID-19 unit. They have adopted another fur baby, a golden retriever puppy named Finley after Finley Stadium where the Mocs football team plays.
Mikaela Jobe, BSN ’20, is working at Maury Regional Medical Center on the Intensive Care Unit Step-down floor, which is primarily the COVID unit at this point.
Erin Seyer, MSN/FNP ’19, Since her graduation, she has worked in the Intensive Care Unit at Erlanger Hospital, helping with COVID-19 patients. In June 2020, she joined Physicians Care in East Ridge, working as a family nurse practitioner. She also earned her certification as a medical examiner for the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Morgan Thompson, MSN/FNP ’20. After her graduation in May, she has worked in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at CHI Memorial. Having passed her certification exam to be fully credentialed as a nurse practitioner, she is now employed as a hospitalist at CHI Memorial.
Katina Currin MSN ’10. In 2019, Dr. Currin debuted the Nurse Nee Nee book series to provide a comforting read for children and parents facing common childhood illnesses that may require surgical intervention. Her love for storytelling makes her books fun for all early readers. Undoubtedly, eyes will be opened to exciting adventures experienced by the characters in her stories. Laced with terminology and insight that will help lessen anxiety and fear surrounding hospital and doctor visits, she guarantees that readers will build vocabulary and literary skills all at the same time. She has practiced as a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) for over 10 years and has taken great delight in caring for pediatric patients. Even in her past career as a respiratory therapist and critical care nurse, she strived to put children and parents at ease when facing healthcare challenges. Currently, she is working as a CRNA in the metro UTC.EDU/NURSING
Atlanta area. When not writing or putting patients to sleep, she enjoys reading, gardening, biking, traveling and spending time with family. She and her husband Joseph live in Smyrna. Georgia. nurseneeneeseries.com/about-dr-currin/
Emily Robinson McKamey, BSN ’17, is currently enrolled at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she is working on her Master of Science in Nursing in the Family Nurse Practitioner program. She plans to graduate in August 2021.
Weddings
Amber Brayer, BSN ’20, was married in September with a small group of family and friends on top of a mountain in Asheville, North Carolina.
Hannah Gentry Hockman
Hannah Gentry Hockman, BSN ’19, was married in May 2020. Peyton Spies Jackson, BSN ’17, was married and is now in school at University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, earning a doctor of nurse practice with dual focus on adult gerontology acute care and family degrees.
Lauren Sullivan Vosika, BSN ’17, married in April 2020 to her college sweetheart. A pediatric nurse at the Hamilton County Health Department, when COVID-19 began, she started serving as the lead administrator to establish and manage temperature monitoring stations, the homeless clinic and the county courthouse. She also has worked at several COVID-19 testing sites since May. In addition, she has been involved with Hepatitis A efforts, including vaccine and IG administration in the Hamilton County Jail and at the county health department.
Leandra Young Gobbell
Leandra Young Gobbell, BSN ’20, married on Aug. 8, 2020 in Savannah, Tennessee.
Births
Kat Brewer Cole and her husband Tyler, both BSN ’15, welcomed a son, Liam, on Aug. 13, 2020. Both currently are working Washington in Neuro/Trauma Intensive Care Unit at Tacoma General Hospital.
Tyler, Kat and baby Liam Cole 2020
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Dept 1051 615 McCallie Avenue Chattanooga,TN 37403
STARTING DECEMBER 1 »
VIRTUAL NIGHTINGALA 2020
The School of Nursing thanks all our alumni, faculty, staff, corporate sponsors and friends for a very successful NightinGala 2019. Because of COVID-19, we have postponed our event and will be having a virtual event. Until the days when we can safely gather, we hope you’ll consider supporting the School of Nursing during our digital fundraiser. With the continued need for simulation and nursing education, monetary support for the Anne P. Y. Ch’ien Learning Resource Center is as important as ever when it comes to properly preparing our future graduates. Because of your generous gifts, our students continue to excel in the clinic and in the classroom. By joining us on GIVING TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020, for the start of our School of Nursing Giving Days, you can join together with fellow alumni and friends of the nursing programs, to support some of our key simulation initiatives.
Visit GIVE.UTC.EDU/NIGHTINGALA2020 to learn more and make your gift. ON CALL
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The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a comprehensive, community-engaged campus of the University of Tennessee System. UTC is an EEO/AA/Titles VI & IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution.
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