Joan Hendrix, Associate Degree Nursing chairperson at the Jackson County Campus
Joan Hendrix, an eight-year instructor in the Associate Degree Nursing program at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County Campus, has been named the new ADN department chairperson on that campus. Hendrix replaces Jane Brenden, who retired in June.
“I work with a great team here, and our goal is to offer what is needed for students to be successful,” she said. “We want to maintain the success we have already seen in the ADN program on our campus. We also plan to recruit more in high schools, encourage students to participate in dual enrollment (taking college classes while in high school), and continue partnerships with the hospitals in our region.”
Hendrix said there are some exciting things planned for the Nursing and Allied Health programs at Gulf Coast. “The college is setting up a Respiratory Therapy to RN program and a Paramedic to RN program. Hopefully those programs can be replicated at Gulf Coast’s other campuses to offer our students the opportunity to make the bridge between those Allied Health programs and ADN,” she added. “We are also pushing to improve our student success by keeping our standards very high for admission and during the program. By demanding excellence in our students, we are preparing them for success in their nursing careers. There is absolutely nothing more rewarding than to see one of our former students working in a local hospital.”
Hendrix attended Mobile College in Mobile, where she received a Master of Science degree in nursing. She has been married to her husband, Demetrius, for 26 years, and they live in Mobile. Her son, Jay, 20, is a student at the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB), majoring in health-care administration. Her daughter, Dee, 25, is a high school teacher in Huntsville. She has one granddaughter, Jordan Elizabeth, 4.
