As the largest nursing program in Tennessee, the ETSU College of Nursing has a long history of preparing nurses and nurse educators to make a difference in health care in the Appalachian Highlands and beyond. A few of headlines from 2020 provide a glimpse of the College’s impact and reach.
Rankings & Accolades
Top in Tennessee: ETSU College of Nursing was recently named the No. 1 RN to BSN program in the state of Tennessee by NursingProcess.org. In addition, the Master's and DNP programs were among the top 100 in the nation in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings. Read more.
DNP recognition: ETSU College of Nursing’s online Doctor of Nursing Practice Program (DNP) is among the top 20 in the nation, according to a 2020 ranking by Learn.org. Read more.
Top 10: ETSU College of Nursing ranks #10 among best psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner programs in the country and #13 among “2020’s Best Online Nurse Practitioner Programs,” according to EduMed.org. Read more.
Online education excellence: ETSU College of Nursing ranks #11 among the top accredited online nursing programs and schools in the country by Learn.org. Read more.
Recognized for Affordability: ETSU College of Nursing is listed among the top 10 most affordable online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs in the country, according to a 2020 ranking by BestHealthDegrees.com. Read more.
Faculty & Student Achievements
Rising Star: Dr. Retha Gentry, associate professor in East Tennessee State University’s College
of Nursing, was named a 2021 Tennessee Rising Star Nurse Leader as part of the 40
Under 40 Nurse Leaders program.
Read more.
Rural Reach: DNP student Courtney Vance Burgin is one of only 16 people in the country selected for the National Rural Health Association’s 2021 Rural Health Fellows program. Read more.
Distinguished Nurse Leaders: The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) names Dr. Judy Rice, associate professor at ETSU College of Nursing, among 230 distinguished nurse leaders to join the 2020 Class of Fellows. Read more.
Student Awards: Nicholas Shortridge earns DAISY Award. Read more.
Student Spotlight: Meet Kaitlin Campbell Banks. Her journey at ETSU has been about learning how to balance all the things she loves – which include everything from her full-time job at an assisted living facility to helping out on her family’s cattle farm. Read more.
Research & Community Engagement
Overcoming Barriers to Health Care: ETSU’s Nurse-Family Partnership program receives a grant totaling nearly $5 million over the next four years to fund evidence-based BSN-RN home visiting services for first-time mothers who live in poverty in nine Northeast Tennessee counties. Read more.
Suicide Prevention: Faculty members receive grant that will allow them to implement an evidence-based suicide prevention program at four Health Wagon clinics in rural Appalachia. Read more.
Healthier Outcomes: Faculty receive grant to explore effects of low carbohydrate diet on people with Type 2 diabetes. Read more.
Combatting the Opioid Crisis: ETSU College of Nursing is part of a cohort of health care systems participating as study sites for the Opioid Quality Improvement (QI) Collaborative. Read more.
Clinical Outreach & Milestones
Caring During COVID: College of Nursing Community Health Centers ensure patients can afford, access care during pandemic. Read more.
Three Decades of Service: ETSU’s nurse-managed Mountain City Extended Hours Health Center celebrates 30 years of providing health care to rural Johnson County and its neighboring communities. Read more.
Expanding Care: ETSU College of Nursing expands its behavioral health services at the college’s nurse-managed clinics in the underserved communities of Johnson and Hancock counties. Read more.
Celebrating 25 years: ETSU’s nurse-managed Hancock County School-Based Health Centers celebrates 25 years of serving the Hancock County/Sneedville community. Read more.
ETSU Health
The ETSU College of Nursing is part of ETSU Health, which encompasses the educational, clinical, and research pursuits of the five colleges in East Tennessee State University’s academic health sciences center (AHSC). These colleges include Quillen College of Medicine, Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences, the College of Nursing, and the College of Public Health.
With 30 clinical locations, 250 health care providers and the five AHSC colleges, ETSU Health is on the front lines of efforts to improve the region’s health. ETSU Health includes the university’s existing comprehensive primary and specialty medical clinics (including Quillen ETSU Physicians and ETSU Family Medicine clinics), nurse-managed clinics, allied health clinics, and interprofessional care provided in the clinics.
ETSU Health is improving the lives of the people of the Appalachian Highlands in so many ways. Here are a few snapshots from the past year:
Health Care Heroes: The Business Journal of Tri-Cities TN/VA presents the 2020 Healthcare Heroes “Cup
of Kindness Community Service Award” to ETSU Health for the work of ETSU’s five health
sciences colleges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.
Commitment to Interprofessional Education: ETSU develops pilot ‘code blue’ interprofessional simulation. Read more.
COVID-19 Testing: In a continuing effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the Appalachian Highlands, ETSU Health has opened the region’s first COVID-19 community collection site that delivers molecular PCR test results to both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients within 24 hours. Read more.
Keeping the Community Safe: ETSU Health experts assist with plans to protect safety and health of ETSU campus and clinics. Read more.
East Tennessee State University
ETSU is committed to developing a world-class environment to enhance student success and improve the quality of life in the region and beyond. ETSU provides a student-centered community of learning, reflecting high standards and promoting a balance of liberal arts and professional preparation, and continuous improvement. The university conducts a wide array of educational and research programs and clinical services including a comprehensive Academic Health Sciences Center. Education is the university’s highest priority, and the institution is committed to increasing the level of educational attainment in the state and region based on core values where:
PEOPLE come first, are treated with dignity and respect, and are encouraged to achieve their full potential; RELATIONSHIPS are built on honesty, integrity, and trust; DIVERSITY of people and thought is respected; EXCELLENCE is achieved through teamwork, leadership, creativity, and a strong work ethic; EFFICIENCY is achieved through wise use of human and financial resources; and COMMITMENT to intellectual achievement is embraced. (ETSU Vision, Mission & Values)
