RENOWN NEWS RELEASE
On Thursday, Jan. 19, Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, will discuss the important role that community colleges play in workforce development during a visit to Renown Regional Medical Center.
Biden will be joined by various business and community dignitaries, including Dr. Maria Sheehan, president of Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC), Greg Boyer, CEO of Renown Regional Medical Center, and former TMCC nursing students who have graduated and are now employed by Renown.
TMCC trains local nurses
“Our nursing program is rigorous, and it yields incredible results. TMCC has produced the majority of the nursing workforce for our region’s hospitals, and we are grateful for the support we continue to receive from our local, state and federal governments as well as all of the healthcare facilities in northern Nevada,” said TMCC’s Sheehan. “Community colleges continue to play a critical role in the shaping of our nation’s economy and we are proud to be a part of that.”
In 2008, TMCC received a Community Block Grant from the Department of Labor to develop a program to improve the retention of nursing students in the program and on the job. The grant disbursed $1.5 million over three years, providing an opportunity for 142 students to complete the nursing program at the college. Based on a graduate survey, 100 percent of participants passed their National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and were all employed as nurses. One year later, 96 percent of respondents were in the same job.
TMCC has provided training for associate degree nurses since 1975. In 2011, 100 percent of graduates from the Maxine S. Jacobs Nursing Program at TMCC achieved passing scores on the NCLEX-RN. This is the second consecutive year that the college’s nursing graduates have attained such results and remains the only institution in the state with a perfect pass rate.
“Renown is pleased to work with TMCC as one of our nursing education partners,” noted Boyer. “Our collaboration benefits nursing students and newly graduated nurses as they transition into their roles, in turn optimizing the healthcare experiences of the patients we serve.”
About Renown Health
Renown Health is northern Nevada’s largest and Reno’s only locally owned not-for-profit integrated health network and a nationally recognized healthcare leader. Renown Health is one of the Top 100 integrated health networks in the country and the only Top 100 recognized integrated health networks in the state of Nevada. We proudly offer the region an integrated solution for all of the community’s healthcare needs. To learn more about the region’s healthcare provider, please visit www.renown.org.
About TMCC
Truckee Meadows Community College is a comprehensive community college located in Reno and is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education. With five college sites and more than 20 community locations, TMCC serves over 20,000 students each year in state-supported programs and another 12,000 students in non-credit workforce development classes. For more information, please go to www.tmcc.edu.
