Alumni lead new generations of nurses in the classroom
Nursing schools across the country turn away qualified applicants from undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis was launched, in part, to address the nursing faculty shortage. Today, more than 20 alumni educate the next generation of nurses at colleges and universities nationwide.
“I was a postdoctoral scholar the first year the school began and had opportunities to observe the creation of courses and curriculum design,” says Tara Sharpp, a Claire M. Fagin Fellow from 2008 to 2010, who now serves as an assistant professor at California State University, Sacramento.
Sharpp is one of six doctoral and postdoctoral alumni teaching at Sacramento State. While she benefited from course design, doctoral alumni credit faculty mentoring and research skill building.
“Through the generous scholarship provided by the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, I was able to earn a doctorate and pursue my dream to become a full-time, tenure-track faculty member at Sacramento State. Faculty modeled hybrid teaching methodologies, team-based learning approaches and research mentoring that are invaluable in teaching my own students,” explains Samantha Blackburn, an alumna of the doctoral Class of 2016.
“Through the development of my research skills and my capacity to work with others, the school prepared me to address the big issues in nursing education and practice,” adds Bronwyn Fields, Blackburn’s classmate.
“At Sacramento State, I prepare my students by ensuring they have both a strong foundation in the health sciences and an understanding of what it means to treat and care for others holistically,” says Susan Perez, a 2014 doctoral alumna and postdoctoral scholar from 2014 to 2016. “The School of Nursing set the bar high.”