Division of Nursing News

Despite growing up just a few miles down the road from the University of West Alabama, Dr. Mary Hanks never expected to find herself teaching on campus.
Few individuals know as much about nursing education at the University of West Alabama over the past five decades as Lynn Lashley does. Her journey reflects the program's full evolution, from being a member of the inaugural class of then-Livingston University's Associate Degree in Nursing program to her current role as a part-time retention specialist in the Ira D. Pruitt Division of Nursing.
Through a series of providential meetings, Mike Williams, Mayor of Butler, Alabama, and his sister, Patricia Williams Harris, recently partnered with the Alabama Nurses Foundation (ANF) and representatives John Beard, president of the board of trustees, and Dr. John Ziegler, executive director, to gift the University of West Alabama Foundation a $50,000 endowment for the Joan Williams and Alabama Nurses Foundation Nursing Scholarship.
‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,’ is a phrase that epitomizes Amaya Carswell, a sophomore nursing major at the University of West Alabama and Miss Paragon 2024.
Nursing student, Keya Tabb, posing with nursing tools
Despite challenges, obstacles, and disappointments, Keya Tabb never gave up on her dream of becoming a registered nurse. Now enrolled in the University of West Alabama’s associate of science in nursing (ASN) program, the 52-year-old Tuscaloosa native is on track to graduate this May and credits her perseverance to her faith and grandmother’s wise counsel.
UWA students participate in mass casualty simulation event.

Dalton Meador, a sophomore at the University of West Alabama, is unabashedly proud of his academic major. He fancies a career in health care, and he enjoys sports. Athletic training fulfills both desires.

UWA nursing students.

Nursing students at the University of West Alabama benefit from the experience of the Ira D. Pruitt Division of Nursing faculty and a rigorous curriculum that prepares graduates for licensure examinations and employment.

Polite as possible, Dr. Chineda Hill, an associate professor of nursing at the University of West Alabama, is nonetheless adamant. She permits no hesitation. She harbors no doubt. A smile shades her spunk. “I’m a nurse,” she said. 
UWA student nurses at clinic

For the first time since the University of West Alabama’s nursing education program was established in 1974, a cohort of nurses are on their way to earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing from UWA.

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