Workforce Development Program Helps Kimaka Evans Transition from CNA to LPN
Press Release
Date: October 30, 2024
Contact: lgarrett@tctc.edu
By Lisa Garrett
PENDLETON --- For 22 years Kimaka Evans has worn a blue uniform, signifying her status as a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) at the Richard M. Campbell Veterans Nursing Home and other health care agencies.
This past summer, after earning her Practical Nursing degree and a passing score on the National Council Licensing Exam (NCLEX)-PN exam, she traded her blues for a red uniform worn by licensed practical nurses.
“It has been a lifetime dream to become a nurse. Over the years, I would tell myself all of the reasons why I couldn’t or wouldn’t pursue my education. I knew it would happen one day; I just didn’t know when,” said Evans.
Her dream was made possible by a partnership between TCTC, Honor Health Career Programs (HHCP) and HMR Veterans Services, Inc. (HMRVSI). In August of 2023, they announced a new workforce development program—the first of its kind in the U.S.—that created an on-site training program for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to pursue a licensed practical nursing (LPN) credential at the Richard M. Campbell Veterans Nursing Home in Anderson.
The program addresses a critical shortage of health care workers and removes barriers to career development, economic mobility and accessibility to education. HMRVSI provides the learning environment, TCTC delivers the education, and HHCP provides mentoring and funding for tuition, books and supplies.
Evans, Samantha Keefe and Caitlyn Phillips, all CNAs employed at the Richard M. Campbell Veterans Nursing Home, were the first HMRVSI employees to enroll in the program and to take classes in the on-site education and training center. All three completed the program and earned their LPN degrees in summer 2023.
In addition to earning their LPN degrees and meeting a critical workforce need, they increased their earning potential and have an established pathway to a registered nurse degree and beyond. Evans plans to pursue an RN degree at TCTC while working as an LPN.
A shortage of LPNs at the nursing home prompted HMRVSI to contact TCTC to initiate an agreement that would create an educational pathway for qualified CNAs to enroll in the three-semester program. The cohort takes classes while working at the nursing home.
Offering an on-site LPN program provides a low-cost education to the student and creates a career pathway in health care. It also removes other common barriers that can prohibit a student from enrolling, such as travel time to a college campus and the cost of tuition, books and supplies. HHCP is providing additional funds to these students to offset any other costs associated with uniforms and supplies.
Instructor Janet Fuller, a TCTC adjunct faculty member and former nursing department head, manages the students in the classroom and the clinical setting. The curriculum and hands-on lab replicate the LPN program at the TCTC Easley Campus.
“Kimaka is probably the most goal-oriented person I know,” said Fuller, who has been teaching for more than 30 years. “She always had a goal and she has taken small steps to achieve it. She wasn’t in a hurry because she had family and extended family obligations that she takes very seriously. It’s amazing that she was able to do everything and take care of everybody over the years. Now she is devoting the time to investing in herself.”
She entered the LPN program with more than two decades of health care experience, working as a CNA at the nursing home on and off for 19 years and as a phlebotomist and medical assistant for doctors’ offices and the Anderson Cancer Center.
Evans said she was overwhelmed when she learned a supervisor had recommended her for the program.
“I knew I had the potential for college but I never had the time,” said Evans, the mother of four children, all of whom are now adults. “Now it’s just my husband and I and the timing was perfect. This was my opportunity. I couldn’t believe people noticed me as an employee. That mean the world to me to be seen and heard. Because somebody thought about me, this opportunity changed my life, for the better - financially, professionally and personally. I am so grateful.”
She said she couldn’t have done it without an influential instructor like Fuller.
“Mrs. Fuller means the world to me. She is like an aunt you can confide in. She is approachable and very real. She believed in me from the start. I had to get out of my own head and relieve those self-doubts. Mrs. Fuller helped me to do that.”
HHCP Executive Director Erin Fredericks said the mentoring component is what makes this program different. “It’s the power of connection,” she said. “HHCP believes in connecting with our partners and students. We have been part of these students’ journeys from day one. They have exceptional resilience. This is their first success among many to come. We are extremely proud of each of them and can’t wait to see their next steps.”
“I’ve come a long way and it’s an amazing feeling,” said Evans. One day in particular stands out for her. Evans was working on the second shift when management announced over the intercom system that she had passed the NCLEX. “I was in the patient care room and didn’t hear it but when I exited into the hall, my co-workers were clapping to celebrate me and my success. Some left their shift floor just to stop and congratulate me.”
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, business administration, 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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