Tell us a fun fact about you.
A fun fact about me is that I danced in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade when I was in high school with my drill team. We went to New York along with hundreds of other kids nationwide.
What is your role at the School of Nursing?
I teach in both the didactic (lecture) and experiential (clinical) settings. One of the classes I frequently teach is pharmacology for traditional BSN students.
Staying active in clinical practice helps me keep my lectures current with evolving protocols and medications.
What do you enjoy most about working at the School of Nursing?
I love our flipped classroom approach. Students come prepared with foundational knowledge through asynchronous lectures, readings, and knowledge checks, and then apply this knowledge in class through games, active learning, and case studies.
It mirrors real nursing practice. Nurses apply knowledge in patient care and practice.
I love coming to work because the community is supportive and encourages creativity in teaching. I can deliver required material in engaging, active ways that make learning enjoyable for students.
Is the flipped classroom model common in nursing programs?
It’s becoming more common, but we’ve been doing it for quite a while. Since 2021, I’ve developed many interactive activities and games to make learning engaging and prevent lectures from feeling monotonous.
It allows students to come in prepared with the knowledge to then apply the material as a nurse would.
What insider tips would you give to new employees and students?
For new employees: Rely on each other. We’re a close-knit team with mentors available to help. The first year can feel overwhelming, but support is always there. And just like in the clinical setting, if you don’t know the answer, ask someone, and they’ll help you.
For students: Find your community. Nursing school is stressful and demanding, so building a core group of friends for mutual support throughout the program is helpful. It could be someone in your first clinical group or someone that you sit next to during Welcome into Nursing Day.
How can people outside the school support nursing students?
Be present and listen. Nursing school is hard. Unless you have done it, you might not realize how emotionally and mentally demanding it is. Students need space to decompress and share their experiences.
What do you enjoy about the community at the school?
The strong bond among clinical instructors. We meet weekly, collaborate in labs, and share our expertise from diverse backgrounds—cardiac, neurology, palliative care, public health—which allows us to create enriching case studies and learning activities.
What was your path into nursing?
I earned a biology degree, intending to go to dental school, but changed course. I really struggled with where I fit within health care, despite knowing that I enjoyed that field, as I had no one within my immediate or extended family who was in health care.
After graduating from college, I worked as a patient care tech in a hospital for a year. That experience led me to nursing, combining my love for science and helping people.
I then graduated from an accelerated nursing program, became a cardiac ICU nurse, then an adult nurse practitioner, and eventually transitioned to higher education, which allows me to have school breaks with my children.
How does your role contribute to the Wisconsin Idea?
I lead the Grandparents University program for the Wisconsin Alumni Association. Kids come with their grandparents or caregivers to explore nursing through hands-on activities such as wound packing and assessing manikins with stethoscopes.
It’s a great way to inspire interest in health care and show what nurses really do and the decisions we make throughout the day.
What does the future of nursing look like?
I’m excited about the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in academia and health care. AI already has, and will, play a bigger role in health care settings and education. It will help free up nurses’ time for direct patient care and clinical judgment, along with the empathy that nurses can provide, which will remain irreplaceable and something that AI will not be able to offer.
At our school, we have already started to embrace AI. We’re exploring AI to enhance learning tools such as pre-class knowledge checks and case studies to better prepare students for the application of material and within the clinical setting.