HCTC hires Tina Turner to teach nursing

A graduate of the nursing program at Hazard Community and Technical College has returned to school to teach. Tina Turner earned her associate degree in 2008 after taking her classes at the Lees College Campus. She continued her education, earning a bachelor s degree in nursing from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Prior to joining the faculty, she worked at Hospice Care Plus in Berea where she served Lee, Owsley, Estill, and Jackson counties. She also worked for Hazard ARH on the medical-surgical floor and for the Kentucky River District Health Department as a school nurse and a clinical nurse.

I value the fact that I received a wonderful education here at HCTC, and now I know that HCTC can offer me a great job opportunity to grow as I further my education in healthcare, Mrs. Turner said.

Tina looks forward to her teaching job. I would like for each of my students to feel valued and respected. I need them to know that they each have a bright future if they apply themselves and seek to achieve their goals, she said. HCTC is a place that wants their students and staff to succeed, and I m excited about this new venture, she said.

Her past experience with nursing patients and their families will be a benefit in her new role. In the past, I have been in job roles that have required me to teach others and then follow up with them to make sure the education was effective or if more education was needed, she noted.

Mrs. Turner, a native of Breathitt County, lives in Buckhorn with her husband, Sammie Todd Turner, and their three kids: Caden, age 12; Isaiah, age 9; and Emma, age 7. While not teaching, she enjoys refurbishing old furniture, walking, and practicing yoga.

Her community service includes volunteering at the homeless shelter and helping manage the local community "shoe boxes of love" with her church. She also enjoys helping her church with the weekly Sunday School services and the summer Vacation Bible School programs.