WOMEN TO WATCH

Dr. Sloan Davidson

School of Nursing Director
University of Arkansas at Little Rock

I am the director of the UA Little Rock School of Nursing, and I just received notice that I will be promoted from associate professor to full professor on July 1st of this year. I have worked at the School of Nursing for 15 years and have served as director for the last five years. I have been a registered nurse for 31 years.

PRESSING QUESTIONS

Nonprofit I wish more people knew about

Holy Sews. They provide hospitals with layettes for infants who are stillborn. It is a wonderful gift of compassion during a parent's worst day. Most are made from used wedding gowns.

Best advice I ever received

My good friend and mentor taught me patience, particularly when dealing with difficult people or situations. She said, "Bad behavior will always catch up with them eventually." I cannot fix everything.

Best career moment so far

There are many, but I guess being awarded the Nursing Faculty Daisy Award is my highlight. This award is given based on student nominations for excellence in teaching.

A skill I never expected to need in this field

I never saw myself going into an administrative role, yet here I am. I did not expect to balance large multi-layer budgets or handle human resource issues as a nurse.

The one thing I wish people knew about my field

Nurse educators work very hard. We not only teach students and go to clinical with students, but we serve the roles of advisors, mentors, counselors, social workers and sometimes even parents.

The first thing I do to course-correct when I hit a wall

Step back and relook at the situation from a new vantage point. Ask my mentors to review the situation with me. Sometimes stepping away and coming back later works.

Biggest challenges in my career

Making the move from bedside RN to university faculty was huge! Just because you are a good nurse does not make you a good educator without a lot of dedication.

What keeps me coming back to my job every day

The differences our team at UA Little Rock School of Nursing makes in our students' lives. I work with the best group of nurse educators and staff around.

IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS

Hometown

Beebe

I can't start my day until

I've had my coffee!

Hobbies

Boating, fishing, hiking and photography

Binge watch

True crime shows

Last good read

“The Last Juror” by John Grisham

Favorite meal in town

Samantha's Tap Room

Best recent local discovery

Allsopp Park Trail

Latest splurge

New Jeep Grand Cherokee

Most-used app

Gmail

Dream vacation

Hawaii

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