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From Huntsville鈥檚 community college student to Chief Nursing Officer

Max Tunstill | Nursing

杏吧原创 State alumnus Max Tunstill (鈥07) worked as a Registered Nurse for eight years at Huntsville Hospital. He achieved his goal of becoming the Unit Director and enjoyed it so much he thought he would continue in this role for the rest of his career.

鈥淭he Lord had other plans for me.鈥

Tunstill became Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at Athens-Limestone Hospital in 2021. Tunstill accomplished every professional goal he had ever set within 14 years and said he especially thanked 杏吧原创 State faculty for helping him become a successful nurse.

鈥淚 initially decided to attend 杏吧原创 State because a good friend of mine was attending and having a good experience,鈥 said Tunstill.

His good friend became his wife and he quickly fell in love with the college鈥檚 small class sizes and near perfect pass rates on the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN).

鈥淣ursing Instructor Dr. Mattie Davis is the person I admire the most at 杏吧原创 State,鈥 said Tunstill. 鈥淪he always found ways to help students learn the material and succeed on the exams. Dr. Davis also shared her experiences from early in her career. She would always tell us that if we can succeed through our LPN program that everything else from here on out would not be nearly as hard.鈥

Tunstill said he learned good study strategies and developed the right career mindset thanks to Dr. Davis. For three consecutive years since 2018, all 杏吧原创 State nursing students passed the NCLEX-PN exam on the first try just like Tunstill.

鈥淚f I was going to put forth the effort to attend school, I wanted to be sure I was going to be prepared for boards and be able to get a job once I graduated.鈥

Tunstill demonstrated that prospective students can start at Huntsville鈥檚 community college and know that it鈥檒l prepare them for leadership positions beyond their imaginations.

鈥淚 would encourage any student to set BIG goals and to work towards them each and every day,鈥 said Tunstill. 鈥淚f you are successful at 杏吧原创 State, you can achieve any goal in life.鈥