Dothan has long enjoyed a reputation as a regional hub for health care, anchored by Flowers Hospital and Southeast Alabama Medical Center. With highly competent specialty programs at both facilities, area patients have access to top-notch care without the need to travel to larger medical facilities, in most cases. And if that need should arise, facilities for those specialties are within easy driving range.
In recent years, Dothan has become home of a medical school, which has just held a white coat ceremony for its third class of doctors.
But doctors and hospitals are only part of what makes excellent health care. Without nurses and professionals in associated health fields, the delivery of health care would likely screech to a halt.
That shouldn’t be a problem in the Wiregrass. Wallace Community College has been turning out nurses with varying training levels for years, as does Troy University in Troy. Graduates of these schools’ nursing and associated health care programs create a strong pool of training candidates to fill the needs of the region’s broad array of health care services.
Recently, a trade publication called Nurse Journal ranked nursing programs across the nation, and found that programs at Wallace Community College and Troy University rank in the top 100 for schools in the eastern region. Of more than 1,100 schools in the region, Wallace was ranked at 90, while Troy ranked 36.
Our community is fortunate to have nursing programs available for interested students who can receive their training close to home, and then have a strong chance of finding jobs right here in the Wiregrass. And the Nursing Journal rankings should be of great comfort to residents who may someday be under the care of local graduates, because they’ll likely be among the best trained professionals in the region.
We congratulate both schools and the faculty and staff who helped the programs earn stellar reputations. It’s the patients who’ll benefit most.
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