Kayla Witthoeft Receives Distinguished Alumni Award
Press Release
Date: October 14, 2025
Contact: lgarrett@tctc.edu
Kayla Witthoeft Receives Distinguished Alumni Award
PENDLETON – It’s been a professionally rewarding and memorable year for Kayla Witthoeft, whose expertise as a post anesthesia and critical care nurse, educator and researcher at Prisma Health Oconee Memorial Hospital (OMH) has garnered local, state, national and even international recognitions.
Her most recent accolade is the TCTC Distinguished Alumni of the Year award. Courtney White, executive director of the TCTC Foundation, presented the award to Witthoeft at the College’s Annual Report reception held October 14. Witthoeft earned a Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) degree in 2010 and an Associate Degree in Nursing in 2012.
The recipient of this award must have been awarded a degree, diploma or certificate from Tri-County; must have graduated at least one year ago; and must have made significant contributions to the College, the Alumni Association or the community.
“Receiving the TCTC Distinguished Alumni award is a true honor and a full circle moment. Tri-County is my foundation. I have my career because of TCTC. I am grateful to be honored by the people who supported me when I was a student,” said Witthoeft.
Last year Witthoeft was among the 100 nurses selected to receive a SC Palmetto Gold award and Prisma Health presented her with its Excellence in Nursing Research award.
Last summer she proudly and nervously stood before a crowd of 15,000 fellow health care professionals at the 2024 American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) International Magnet Conference® and ANCC Pathway to Excellence Conference® in New Orleans to accept the National Magnet Nurse of the Year award in the category of New Knowledge, Innovation and Improvements. Witthoeft, BSN, RN, ONC, CPAN, CCRN, was only one of five nurse innovators in the world to be recognized for conducting research leading to best practices for their patients.
OMH received its first Magnet designation in 2024 and earned 12 exemplars. A Magnet-designated hospital is considered the gold standard for nursing practice and innovation, certified as a place where nurses are empowered to lead change and drive improvements. Magnet hospitals also promote advanced education and typically offer improved work environments and patient outcomes. Only 10% of U.S. hospitals hold this designation.
In 2021, with an interprofessional team, Witthoeft spearheaded efforts to reduce emergence delirium for pediatric post operative patients. Emergence delirium is a temporary state of confusion and agitation that can occur when a patient wakes up from anesthesia. Work by the OMH team resulted in an immediate 42% reduction at the hospital. This work has been presented internationally and published in the Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing.
Witthoeft also led a research study which found that pre-warming surgical patients reduces hypothermia rates by 50% and significantly reduces the risk of subsequent infections and cardiac complications. This work has been presented at the National Critical Care conference, International Conference for PeriAnaesthesia in Ireland, and the Magnet conference.
“The team’s work demonstrates the power of evidence-based practices and continuous improvement. I’m privileged to work with a group of nurses who enthusiastically embrace new knowledge. This isn’t a personal achievement but a testament to the incredible teamwork and support have received from my colleagues,” she said. “Without their collaboration, this honor would not be possible.”
“Research allows us to improve care in meaningful ways and I love being part of that process,” said Witthoeft who began her nursing career after graduating from TCTC’s LPN and ADN programs. She transferred to Clemson University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
When she isn’t working as a bedside nurse in ICU and the recovery room, she teaches TCTC LPN students one day a week during a 12-hour clinical rotation.
Witthoeft says she has always been drawn to pursue a career in health care. Her mother is a nurse at OMH and a TCTC graduate. After graduating from Seneca High School, Witthoeft decided to pursue a physical therapy degree and was headed to college at North Georgia University. “I was accepted but changed my mind when I began to weigh the cost of an out-of-state, four-year education. After the 2008 recession, it wasn’t an option. My mom had graduated from TCTC, so I decided to start there.” She attended TCTC on a Ruby and Ernest Hicks Scholarship through the College’s Foundation and graduated debt free. “It was the right decision,” she said.
Witthoeft began her career in Charlotte, N.C., after graduating from Clemson University. She worked as a trauma nurse for six years before moving back to Oconee County, where she lives with her husband and children.
In 2022 she applied to be a clinical nursing instructor for TCTC on her day off. “It’s a privilege to watch my students care for patients and grow throughout the semester. I love encouraging them as they find their footing and develop into the nurses they’re meant to be. I get to work alongside many of my former students at OMH, and it fills me with pride to watch them succeed and live out their dreams. I can’t imagine doing anything else,” she said.
Nursing is a family affair for Witthoeft, who works with both of her parents at OMH. Her father, who was a carpenter for most of his life, decided in his 50’s to go back to school and study to be a nurse, as well. He works in ICU like her, and her mother works on labor and delivery. “We’re a family of nurses,” she said.
About Tri-County Technical College
Tri-County Technical College, a public two-year community and technical college serving Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties in South Carolina, enrolls more than 9,000 students annually and offers more than 70 major fields of study, including computer technology, industrial electronics, mechatronics, nursing, and university transfer programs. Tri-County boasts the highest student success rate among two-year colleges in the state and ranks in the top one percent nationally for successful student transfers to four-year colleges and universities. To learn more, visit tctc.edu.
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