USER

I am a masters prepared clinical nurse educator at the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital. I implement and promote education and continuing development for high acuity and critical care nursing staff. Within this role, I have had the opportunity to work intensively with new graduate nurse development and transition to practice; develop and collaborate on large scale education and training programs across disciplines and scopes of practice; and work with high functioning teams to develop quality programming in nursing education.  I am also currently enrolled in a Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of Minnesota. In our Health Innovation and Leadership track, we are participating in innovative learning and thinking to assist in the future development of exceptional health care systems.

My passions are to help patients and families by developing caring, expert nurses for the bedside. To develop these nurses, I believe in a caring educational model which promotes ongoing learning and development of whole systems thinking to allow for expert care provision. I also firmly believe in the value of collaborative management for patients and the vast importance of effective communication between all caregivers, both formal and informal. I have been experiencing the changes in the nursing work force with a continuous flow of nurses into and out of my coverage areas. I am hoping to study the drivers of nursing retention and attrition during my DNP coursework.

For my volunteer time, I am a lifelong Girl Scout and leader working with development of girls and young women into confident, caring adults. I receive loving support from my husband and children and return that support whole heartedly. I am excited to begin participation in national dialogues and feel that interprofessional practice and education will have significant impact on the health care systems of the future.