Tammy Morton to Lead Tri-County's New Medical Assisting Program

CONTACT: TAMMY MORTON, EXT. 2242

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5/5/2000
(By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON --- Tammy Morton of Westminster has been named department head of Tri-County Technical College's new Medical Assisting program. She will assume her duties on May 8.

Since 1997 Mrs. Morton has been a faculty member in the College's associate degree nursing program. In her new role, she will provide leadership to the new Medical Assisting diploma program, which is designed to train students to become multifunctional health care workers in doctors' offices. There are more than 200 doctor's offices in the three county area, and the Employment Security Commission predicts that jobs for medical assistants will increase by 39.01 percent by 2005.

Medical Assisting is one of two new programs that will be offered this fall at Tri-County. Pending final approval from the Commission on Higher Education this month, a second program, Respiratory Care, also will begin this fall. Interested persons should contact the Admission Office for information on the Medical Assisting program and the requirements for entry.

Mrs. Morton is a 1989 alumna of Tri-County's nursing program. While a student at Tri-County, she was co-founder and president of the first Student Nurses Association and served as president of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She received the Eleanor Nenstiel Nursing Leadership Award in 1989 and was named to Who's Who Among American Junior Colleges.

After graduating from Tri-County in 1989, she worked at Oconee Memorial Hospital's emergency room as an R.N. In addition to working at the hospital, she taught courses in the licensed practical nursing program at the Fred P. Hamilton Career Center and nursing labs for Clemson University.

She continued her education at Clemson University where she graduated summa cum laude with a B.S.N. degree in 1992 followed by an M.S.N. in 1996. At Clemson, she was a member of the Golden Key Honor Society and Phi Kappa Phi honor society and Sigma Theta Tau honor society of nursing. She was named to Who's Who in American Nursing in 1993 - 94. Currently she is a doctoral student in the Vocational/Technical Educational program at Clemson University.

She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau and was named a Virginia Henderson Fellow for the organization. She chairs the Southern Appalachian Leadership Initiative on Cancer in Oconee County.

Mrs. Morton and her husband, Sam, live in Westminster with their two children.
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