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Respiratory Graduates Honored

2018-05-17
Group of people standing in a room
Respiratory students honored during their program’s May 4 pinning ceremony are pictured here with their instructors. Front row, from left: Instructor Marissa Gilligan, Matthew Ledford of Leicester, Chandra Kersey of Canton, Taressa Wilson of Hudson, Nikki Luther of Canton, Carlee Jenkinson of Sylva, Dakota (Shay) Shapiro of Cullowhee, Tasha Raper of Murphy, Mark Orr of Brevard, Hanna Harris of Cullowhee and program coordinator Gretchen Guelcher. Back row: John Nicholson of Brevard, Brett Kerby of Lake Junaluska, Richard Moses of Cullowhee, Daniel Sherlin of Hayesville and Travis Hedden of Franklin.

Eleven graduates of Southwestern Community College’s respiratory therapy program were recognized during a May 5 pinning ceremony at the Jackson Campus.

Students honored during the ceremony include: Hanna Harris of Cullowhee, Travis Hedden of Franklin, Carlee Jenkinson of Sylva, Brett Kerby of Lake Junaluska, Chandra Kersey of Canton, Matthew Ledford of Leicester, Nikki Luther of Canton, Richard Moses of Cullowhee, John Nicholson of Brevard, Mark Orr of Brevard,  Tasha Raper of Murphy, Dakota (Shay) Shapiro of Cullowhee, Daniel Sherlin of Hayesville and Taressa Wilson of Hudson.

All graduates are eligible to take entry level examinations from the National Board of Respiratory Care and may also take the Advanced Practitioner exam. They may be employed in hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, nursing homes or other healthcare settings.

The graduates also have the option of pursuing further education in the field.

“I’m extremely proud of this group,” said Dr. Mitch Fischer, Dean of SCC’s Health Sciences Division. “I worked with them quite a bit during a transition period between faculty members, and they adapted to all the changes around them extremely well. They have all received an excellent education and are well-prepared to succeed as respiratory therapists.”

Instructors are Gretchen Guelcher, the program coordinator, and Marissa Gilligan, clinical coordinator.

For more information about the respiratory therapy program at SCC, call 828.339.4000

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