About Me

My expertise is derived from and influenced by my own undergraduate and graduate education as well as real-world personal and professional experiences.

During my undergraduate education, I discovered a passion for educating others, both in nursing and in other subjects. My first experience with teaching came from reviewing my peers’ and coworkers’ essays, resumes, and other papers as a copyeditor. In nursing school, I realized I genuinely enjoyed helping others understand complex topics, especially in pathophysiology and medical-surgical classes. That’s when I set a goal of becoming an undergraduate nursing professor.

Since then, I’ve actively sought educational opportunities throughout my career. I tutored lower-cohort nursing students one-on-one and in small groups on topics like pharmacology, dosage calculations, and med-surg content. I also recognized patterns in how ATI and my institution structured NCLEX-style questions and began creating hundreds of practice questions on Quizlet that mirrored that logic. These study sets are still used by students across multiple cohorts, and I love getting emails that say “thank you” from someone using an old Quizlet I made.

Clinically, I’ve worked primarily in ICU and step-down settings since graduating in 2019. I began in a neuroscience ICU and soon volunteered to float to other units to gain broader experience. I learned to quickly adapt to new teams, ask the right questions, and deliver meaningful, holistic care. These skills carried over into travel nursing, where I worked in a variety of trauma centers and hospitals across the country. I’ve also consistently volunteered to precept and orient nursing students, new graduates, and seasoned nurses, including during travel assignments.

During my graduate Teaching and Learning program, I gained a deeper understanding of educational theory and creative ways to reach students with different learning styles. I was honored to receive the “Best Teaching Award” in my Teaching the Health Care Consumer and Provider course. I have many ideas I intend to research, implement, and build on in my academic career.

Through my PhD in Nursing Science, research has become something I love just as much as bedside nursing and teaching. I’m especially interested in mental health and well-being in nurses, neuroscience care, trauma-informed practices, and nurse education. My research is grounded in phenomenology, with a focus on understanding the lived experiences of nurses and how meaning is shaped through context. My dissertation explores how workplace culture and organizational inertia affect the mental well-being of acute care nurses.

I’ve presented at multiple conferences and was recently awarded third place at the UAH Graduate School Poster Session. I was one of the few nursing students among more than two dozen graduate researchers. I truly enjoy writing, collaborating, and using research to make meaningful improvements in nursing. I plan to continue publishing and engaging in academic work throughout my career.