Longtime Nursing Department Head Jackie Rutledge Retires
Press Release
Date: March 11, 2025
Contact: Lisa Garrett, lgarrett@tctc.edu
(By Lisa Garrett)
Longtime Nursing Department Head Jackie Rutledge Retires
PENDLETON, SC – Katie Anderson met Tri-County Technical College nursing faculty member Jackie Rutledge in the fall of 2013 when Anderson was a student enrolled in a medical/surgical class. “She was an amazing instructor, very knowledgeable and very supportive,” said Anderson.
Anderson experienced that same encouragement when she returned to TCTC seven years later - this time as a faculty member in the Associate Degree Nursing program. As a new instructor, Anderson said Rutledge was the first person she would go to if she needed advice or had questions.
After 24 years at the College, Rutledge will retire on March 14. She joined the College in March 2001 as a full-time Associate Degree Nursing instructor after 20 years of working in a variety of positions at Prisma Health (formerly Greenville Hospital System). She was named Nursing department head in 2015 and oversees the Associate Degree Nursing (R.N.) and Licensed Practical Nursing (L.P.N.) programs.
Rutledge’s retirement is bittersweet for Anderson and other faculty members who have worked with Rutledge both in the classroom and in clinical settings.
“I’ll miss her, but we are excited for her. Her retirement is well deserved. She has impacted so many people over the years. One of the first questions alumni ask me is if Miss Rutledge is still at TCTC,” said Anderson.
“I’ve loved working at TCTC. I’ve met the most wonderful people whom I hope will stay in my life. It’s been a wonderful 24 years,” said Rutledge. “What I will miss most is the interaction with co-workers and students,” she said.
“I appreciate Dr. Chaudhry (dean of the Health Education Division), who is a great collaborator and who supported me and our faculty, our nursing departments and our division,” she added.
Observing graduates working in health care settings is a point of pride for Rutledge, as is welcoming graduates back as faculty as she did Anderson.
“When I see our alumni working in area hospitals, they are my peers now. It’s so gratifying to see them graduate, pass the national licensing exam and work as nurses. One of the highlights of my career is that I have been able to hire graduates like Katie. I love when they get their master’s degree and come back to teach,” said Rutledge.
Under Rutledge’s direction, both Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) and Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) graduates’ scores on the NGN (Next Generation) National Council Licensing Exam (NCLEX) continually have exceeded state and national records.
The NCLEX is a nationally recognized licensure examination required to become either a registered nurse (NCLEX-RN) or a licensed practical nurse (NCLEX-PN). Graduates of both programs must pass the exam to work as RNs and/or LPNs in the state.
According to the S.C. Board of Nursing, South Carolina’s college and university registered nurse programs rank fifth in the nation with an NCLEX-RN pass rate of 95.48%. New Hampshire and North Dakota top the list, ranking 96% nursing license exam pass rates.
South Carolina’s LPN programs rate eighth in the nation with a 97.83% pass rate. States are ranked by the overall pass rates of first-time candidates taking the test.
In 2019 the nursing program was granted full continuing accreditation through 2026 by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing ACEN.
Stacy Smith, longtime TCTC Associate Degree Nursing faculty member, has been Rutledge’s teaching partner in an online gerontology elective class for many years and for she taught clinicals with her when Rutledge served as a full-time instructor.
“Jackie starts early and she is very detail oriented. She brought to the classroom all of her experience as a nurse. Students respect her and during clinicals they got to see who she is as a nurse. They adored her and they recognize her expertise and her experience,” she said. “As I got to know her as a nurse, I witnessed her compassion and how she models and applies what she teaches,” said Smith.
“If Jackie ever had to fill in to teach a class, she knows the material so well she could just step in and deliver. She likes to have conversations in class. She shares her professional experience and brings clinicals to life in the classroom,” said Smith.
“Her expectations are high so it was inspiring to have her trust when she hired me to teach the next generation of nurses,” said Anderson.
“She remembered me when I came in for the interview and believed in me to put me in the instructor position when I completed my master’s degree. Just as when I was a student, she has supported me in the classroom through advice and continues to serve as my mentor. There’s no one in health care I’ve run across who didn’t know and respect her. She is someone you remember as a good leader and who will raise up good, trained nurses to safely take care of patients. Her standards are high and her standards match the hospitals’ standards.”
“We wish her well. She deserves this. She worked really hard and retirement is a blessing for her,” said Smith.
“Jackie is highly organized and get things done in timely fashion,” said Dr. Chaudhry. “She was instrumental in transforming the concept of offering the LPN program offsite at the Richard Campbell Veterans Hospital into a reality. Her recent successes include updating the simulation lab with the Learning System- video-based debriefing environment which allows the faculty to video the simulation experience to help when debriefing students to enhance their learning. She fostered outstanding relationships with Prisma, Health AnMed, Bon Secours, and many more health care partners. She is truly the face behind the TCTC nursing programs,” said Dr. Chaudhry.
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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