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What inspired you to pursue a career in teaching and academia?

"I began my nursing career working in the emergency department. I spent over 10 years there, working as a registered nurse and then as a nurse practitioner. I began precepting nursing students and felt an instant desire to teach them everything I knew. Throughout the years, I have also worked with new graduate nurses, new nurses to the emergency department and nurses in training to become nurse practitioners. My passion for teaching continued to grow as I then began doing adjunct work in the classroom, simulation lab and clinical setting at both the undergraduate and graduate level. After several years, I realized that I wanted to become a full-time educator. By teaching, my hope is to instill my love for nursing into our future nurses."

Could you describe a recent project or initiative related to teaching that you're passionate about?

"One of my passions is providing medical care to the underserved and to those with limited access to care. I work as a nurse practitioner every summer in Alaska, providing primary, urgent and emergency care to residents in rural areas. I take great pride in caring for these patients and teaching them about healthy lifestyles. I would love to combine my love for travel with my love for nursing and teaching by bringing students with me for a clinical experience."

How do you adapt to changes in education, such as online learning or new technologies, to enhance the learning experience?

"Shortly after I began a full-time teaching career, the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All classes shifted to an online learning platform- this included didactic, lab and clinical courses, all of which I was teaching at the time. It was extremely challenging to engage the students virtually and I had to be creative in ways to support participation. I encouraged students to keep their cameras on and I tried to create a ‘normal’ classroom environment as best I could. I researched and used different tools to keep the students engaged, including quizzes through a program called Kahoot. I broke the students up into groups using breakout rooms and assigned them case studies that we would then discuss as a group. I posed questions to the students using polls and showed videos. I also made sure to hold weekly office hours and check-ins during the week via Zoom."

What advice would you give to aspiring educators looking to excel in the field of academia?

"It can be difficult to transition into academia, especially when coming from a clinical background. When I began teaching, I did not know how to write a test question or create a PowerPoint presentation. My advice is to not be intimidated and go for it. We need great educators, who are passionate about nursing, teaching and health care overall. There are tons of resources out there for those in academia and although it can be extremely overwhelming, know that there are organizations to support you as well as seasoned faculty. I am still learning and growing as an educator, and I am extremely grateful to faculty who have mentored me and taken me under their wing."