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Health Services seeks Family Nurse Practitioner

A change has taken place at Health Services, leaving the nurses limited in treating patients. After 30 years of dedicated service at Tech, Randy Tompkins, Registered Nurse, Family Nurse Practitioner, has retired. Health Services is currently taking applications in search of hiring a new full-time F.N.P.

“Along with change comes new beginnings,” Licensed Practical Nurse Phyllis Kilgore said.

Health Services currently has two-part-time F.N.P. and a medical doctor who work when they can throughout the week.

“We can still do anything that most real doctor’s offices can do,” said Cynthia Tompkins, who has a bachelors in the science of nursing.

However, because there is not a full-time F.N.P., the nurses are limited to what they can do for their patients. This means that appointments are moving slower than normal, and the doctor or an F.N.P. is not always in the office to treat patients.

With this change taking place, the staff at Health Services gives students and faculty tips on how to make this transition easier.

Check the Health Services website or call to see when an F.N.P. or the M.D. is in the office.

If an emergency takes place, call 911 or go to the closest emergency room.

Be patient.

“It is not always going to be this slow, but transition takes time,” Kilgore said.

Even though changes are taking place, not everything at Health Service has changed. They are still located in the basement of the Nursing and Health Services Building, and it is still free to be examined. However, medications, x-rays and lab work are to be paid for by the patient. Billing information can be provided to the patient for insurance purposes.

“You can’t use your insurance here, but we will find the place with the lowest price to refer you to,” Bilbrey said. “We try to go the extra mile.”

For more information, contact Health Services at (931) 372-3320 or visit www.tntech.edu/healthservices.