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.
Dr. Sloan Davidson
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.