This has been a big year for Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences in Rock Island.
Several months ago, the college launched a new Medical Laboratory Science program that is designed to prepare students to work in a laboratory setting in a variety of career fields. Classes for the program began in May.
Also, this fall Sauk Valley Community College announced it will begin a new partnership with Trinity. (This new program will allow for students working on majors in nursing or as lab technicians to complete their associate’s degree or pre-requisites at Sauk Valley and then complete their bachelor’s degree at Trinity College of Nursing upon admission and without losing any credit hours.)
But in addition to those steps, 2023 will likely go down in history for another big event – this year has been the 125th anniversary year for Trinity educating health care professionals. Trinity began in 1898 with a program for nursing students. Today, it has several health field programs and partnerships with area schools for students to continue their education. The school also hosts a summer camp for local high school students who are interested in careers in the healthcare fields.
The year has featured a number of celebrations and special events to commemorate that special anniversary.
Recently, the QCBJ interviewed Tracy Poelvoorde, chancellor for Trinity College; and Nate Sherouse, a recent graduate of Trinity, who now works in the health care field as a clinical home care informaticist for UnityPoint at Home, to discuss the legacy of Trinity and the milestone year.
Trinity boasts 200 students
Ms. Poelvoorde said 2023 has been a big, eventful year with many students taking health care classes. Currently, Trinity has about 200 students, and there are about 30 staff and faculty members.
The chancellor said that she is especially pleased that once the students graduate, many stay in the region and help serve the area by becoming nurses and other health professionals in the Quad Cities. She added that between 85% to 88% of Trinity grads stay in the QC. Also, most of the students at Trinity – about 70% – come from the Iowa and Illinois Quad Cities.
“They really like the culture here. They like the pace of the Quad Cities,” she said.
One of the recent Trinity graduates who is now working in the health field is Mr. Sherouse. He graduated from Trinity in 2020, and is a former U.S. Army medic. He praised Trinity for its quality of education and the caring attitudes of the staff and faculty members.
“I loved it at Trinity. They are super, super friendly. … They make you feel like you are all friends,” he added. “They showed me that they care.”
During an open house earlier this year to attract future students, Ms. Poelvoorde said she sees the college as a “pathway” for students to get jobs in the healthcare field.
At that event a few months ago, Trinity College provided information about how the U.S. needs people in the medical fields, and the salaries in those fields. Information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics displayed at the event included:
- Pay for medical jobs: registered nurse – $77,600; radiology technologist – $61,980; medical laboratory science – $57,800.
- Median age statistics for the jobs: registered nurse, 52 years old; radiology technologist, 43; and medical laboratory science, 55.
