Teaching at Mount Union
I wanted to be able to connect with students in small class sizes to encourage individual and social growth. The University of Mount Union allows faculty to prioritize teaching and developing mentor/mentee relationships with students. Students have a "family" in faculty, who care about them both as people and future professionals. Individualized teaching and mentorship are highly valued by administration, faculty, and students. Providing one-on-one academic and career support to students is something many universities promise but cannot deliver. I am consistently impressed with the level of care and devotion faculty across majors demonstrate for students at Mount Union.
Meaningful Work in Nursing
My passions are prevention science and systems-level thinking, which led me first into public health, then nursing, and now a combination of both in education and research. Department professors know every student in the major and are incredibly devoted to providing the highest quality learning experience for students. We work hard to not only meet standards but exceed them. It shows both in our NCLEX pass rate and in the caring academic environment created here.
Students in NUR 420 will experience unique and interesting population health simulations which are being disseminated nationally and internationally, including a Pandemic strategy gaming simulation and an infant home safety simulation. Also, all nurses have an opportunity to be community leaders if they plug into the public health system in which they live; our coursework presenting relevant and current public health practice from a nursing perspective inspires that attitude.
Enjoying Work In and Outside of the Classroom
My favorite part of my job in class is leading impromptu critical thinking discussions with groups of students. It is crucial for future nurse leaders to examine issues in healthcare and for us all to feel some responsibility for finding solutions. Outside of class I enjoy career mentoring for nursing students! It is a joy to help students identify the aspects of nursing which personally resonate and strategize a strong launch into the profession.