Dawn Thar, LVN, became the LVN Nurse Educator in 2014. She was tasked with creating the curriculum for the facility's New Nurse Orientation (NNO) by utilizing the Nursing Policy and Procedure Manual and a list of nursing competencies that were required. Dawn provides an in-depth, approximately 2-week orientation for all nurses every month, in tandem with the RN Nurse Educator. Her knowledge, skills, and abilities, along with her background as a teacher, set the stage for her to be an exceptional nurse educator. She utilizes best practices and evidence-based practices to support the ongoing education/training of the nurses on the campus. Through intentional teaching strategies such as structured, hands-on learning and real-time feedback, she creates an environment where nurses can practice, make mistakes in a safe environment, and grow in confidence as nurses. She helps to shape clinical judgment, competence, and confidence.

From 2014 until September 2025, Dawn provided training to nurses on 3 campuses of North Texas State Hospital, helping to create a competent nursing workforce caring for individuals with medical and behavioral diagnoses. In the fall of 2025, North Texas State Hospital split into two facilities, but Dawn continued to support the 2 other campuses until a Nurse Educator was secured.

Dawn is an important piece to nursing recruitment and retention at the facility. She helps the RN Nurse Educator ensure that the 5 nursing schools that come to the campus for clinical rotations have a thorough, professional experience. She was instrumental in assisting the RN Nurse Educator in implementing the Nursing and PNA Skills Fairs for the facility. She worked with the IT department to secure laptops for NNO so that nurses could access and practice in the Electronic Health Record before they were released to their assigned workstations. This has allowed for troubleshooting and early identification of areas that a nurse may be struggling with prior to them starting their shift work.

Dawn was charged with working with the Assistant Medical Director and General Medical Services Director to develop high-risk medication protocols to help simplify and standardize the process. After years of working on this complicated, time-intensive project, the final product was released and implemented. This involved not only nursing, but also providers and pharmacy involvement to create the best practice/process.

Dawn helped transition the nursing education department away from paper-based tests for competencies and return demonstrations. She played a key role in creating electronic processes that support more efficient, accessible, and easily trackable practices. By utilizing the facility's technology, she has improved processes to align with current global practices.

Dawn is an active member of the Nursing Policy Review Team and chairs the LVN Coordinator meetings. She oversees the LVN Coordinators at the facility to ensure that best practices and policies are being followed consistently across the campus. She also conducts audits of the medication rooms at times to evaluate for compliance. She provides “Just in time” training when needed and supports the use of an evidence-based learning platform to educate the nurses.

Dawn’s role as the LVN Nurse Educator is crucial to each nurse's success, which in turn affects the quality of care provided to the individuals served. She makes a huge impact, and her exceptional contributions to the Nursing Profession should be commended.