I have been a nurse for 36 years, graduating with my BSN from Azusa Pacific University in 1987. My passion for nursing is babies and teaching. I found NICU in 1992 and never looked back! That said, I spent a significant amount of time floating to pediatrics in the six years before retiring from the bedside; it is what qualified me to be a pre-licensure pediatric clinical instructor at the RN level. I love kids, but for me, babies are the best!

I have always loved teaching parents about the care their new little one was receiving in the NICU and helping them to participate in their baby's care. Whenever a clinical instructor needed a staff nurse to take a student, I always volunteered. Teaching parents and children in pediatrics was always rewarding as well. My first exposure to being a clinical instructor was at ACC about 11-12 years ago, teaching fundamentals and pediatric clinicals for LVN students; I enjoyed it but wanted to teach at the RN BSN level. I've been with WCU for 6.5 years now. I will be done with my MSN-Ed in December; through my MSN practicum, I've been exposed to the world of pediatric simulation, and I'm very excited about it! I cannot wait to see what the future holds!

Thank you again for this amazing, unexpected honor. Being a clinical instructor is not without its difficulties. As a teacher, all I have ever wanted to do was make a difference in students' lives and help prepare them to be the best nurses they can be; sometimes, you wonder if you do. This high honor shows me that I have, indeed, made a difference, and that means the world to me.