-News Release-
GNTC student Stephanie Wilson expects to graduate with her Associate of Science in Nursing degree in December.
A Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) Nursing student recently assisted a patient in medical crisis and comforted his family.
Stephanie Wilson, 33, attends GNTC’s Walker County Campus in Rock Spring and expects to graduate with her Associate of Science in Nursing degree in December. Wilson currently is in her third semester of her clinical rotation duties at a hospital in northwest Georgia.
“Patients are people, not just a diagnosis, so I respect their dignity in their time of need because they are vulnerable,” Wilson said. “Nursing enables me to be the smiling face or helping hand they see on what may be the worst time of their life.”
When her father passed away four years ago, nurses comforted and cried with her. “Compassion matters,” Wilson said.
In her most recent clinical rotation, Wilson’s early recognition of a patient in distress resulted in swift intervention and a more favorable outcome for the patient.
“Stephanie recognizing the patient’s rapid deterioration and responding promptly is what made the difference in this case,” said Heather Akers, instructor of Associate Degree Nursing at GNTC. “She sought immediate help when she observed something wasn’t right, and that quickly brought the appropriate care team to the bedside to intervene.”
“Once the patient was stabilized, I witnessed Stephanie comforting the patient’s family,” Akers said. “The aftermath of such an event is a troubling sight to see sometimes, and Stephanie took the extra time to acknowledge the loved ones and provide comfort.”
Akers said she believes Wilson’s conduct exemplifies not only the care nurses provide patients, but also the acknowledgment and comfort they provide distressed loved ones who have witnessed a medical emergency.
“Stephanie responded exactly how she was trained — with professionalism and compassion,” Akers said. “I am very proud of her.”
Wilson said she felt better doing for the family what she knew she was allowed to do as a student.
“It was my first experience in an emergency and something I will never forget,” Wilson said.
Wilson said she always wanted to work in healthcare and credits her quick thinking to her training at GNTC.
Wilson was a mother when she graduated from high school in 2011. She earned a diploma in Medical Assisting at GNTC in 2013.
“It didn’t hit me how important education was when I was younger,” Wilson said. “I loved working in Medical Assisting in pediatrics and realized that I wanted to continue my education, so I returned to GNTC to become a Registered Nurse.”
She chose GNTC a second time, appreciating its convenience and the good experience she had previously, she said.
GNTC starts with basic skills like checking vital signs and practicing safety. Students learn disease processes so they are able to assess a patient’s condition and know when to act based on the patient’s vital signs, skin tone, behavior and other factors. Students are ready to perform their clinical hours, she said.
“Nursing students have to think critically on the spot, and GNTC prepares us to do this,” Wilson said.
“GNTC has helped me become more confident and communicate with patients on a level that is beneficial to them,” Wilson said. “I’ve also developed greater patience and adaptability because every patient is different.”
As a student, she has performed clinical hours in assisted living, labor and delivery, mental health and medical-surgical. She said these rotations have helped her select bedside care in a medical-surgical unit as the area where she wants to work; however, if she decides in the future to specialize in cardiology or labor and delivery, the wide range of skills and experience she uses in medical-surgical will help her make that transition.
Wilson, a lifelong Summerville resident and mother of two boys, also received a scholarship from the GNTC Foundation in fall 2026 to help her complete her program.
“You have to want to be a nurse,” Wilson said. “It’s hard work, but it’s rewarding.”
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