Please tell us about yourself.
I have been a nurse for almost 40 years! I still sometimes can’t believe that. I am a psychiatric nurse by specialty and spent most of my career in the hospital setting as a nurse administrator. In 2015, I decided to pursue my passion for teaching and began as faculty at City Tech. This is my second semester at SPS and I love online teaching. I grew up in Brooklyn, live in Staten Island, and am a three-time CUNY graduate. I am married and have two adult children who live out of state.
What brought you to CUNY SPS Nursing?
As a student completing my doctoral degree, I learned to love online school. I attended a program that was in Virginia, yet I always felt connected to the faculty and students in my cohort. That is the environment I found when I considered transferring to CUNY SPS. I am very fortunate to be part of this community.
Tell us about your research interests and why you are passionate about this topic?
First and foremost, I am very interested in Just Culture. This is the environment (or lack of) that encourages learning from all errors, regardless of how severe the outcome. My second interest and passion, which is related to this, is understanding the barriers that nurses are faced with that prevent them from speaking up. As an administrator, this always concerned me.
What do you want the public to know about your research? Why is your topic important?
We have been counting COVID-related deaths for one year. Did you know that at least that many people die in the US every year because of error? It is the 3rd leading cause of death. As an educator, I want to help nurses to find their voices and ways to speak up. Nurses are the most important professionals in the war against medical error. Nurses have to trust that they will be listened to and protected when speaking up – that is what Just Culture is all about!
What is your favorite part of your job?
I love telling stories and after almost 40 years I have many! Students learn best when they connect a concept with a story. I love to hear stories shared by my students too! Our experiences are our stories and learning from them to improve outcomes is called reflective learning.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
My biggest challenge is trying not to overwhelm students by sharing new information I come across. I take life-long learning seriously and I find almost all topics interesting and relatable.
What do you like most about mentoring students?
Mentoring is both our privilege and professional obligation. Students and nurses need a guide through life to help open doors and to be encouraged to stretch and reach their potential. At this stage in my career, this is my priority. It’s all about secession planning!
How do you like to spend your free time?
I love to listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and music. I walk as much as I can with my eyes open to the world and ears listening to something interesting and new. I also love to cook and hang out with friends. Of course, I spend as much time as I can visiting my kids in Florida and Utah!
What is the most helpful advice you’ve received?
I was a latecomer in understanding the need for self-care. I try to incorporate this into each course I teach. Self-care is not selfish, it is vital. Asking for help is not weakness - it is strength!
When did you start becoming interested in nursing?
When I failed trigonometry in high school my guidance counselor told me I should think about nursing as I wouldn’t be successful in anything hard. It was the best failure ever! So glad for that unpleasant experience and counselor who had no clue about the rigor of nursing!
Growing up, what did you want to be?
I was always interested in psychology and talking to people. Becoming a psych nurse helped me to blend it all.