Lisa
Drews
November 2024
Lisa
Drews
,
EdD, MSN, RN, CNE, CNEcl, CNML
Wilmington University / Delaware Nurses Association
New Castle
,
DE
United States
As an organization, I believe that it is important for universities to equip nursing students with self-care strategies to combat student burnout, and that is exactly what Dr. Drews did. Dr. Drews embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion by creating and nurturing a safe learning environment.
Dr. Lisa Drews is not just a professor and the program chair at my university; she is one who genuinely cares about her students and about the profession of nursing. She connects with her students on a personal level and has ensured that they have a safe and nurturing learning environment. Dr. Drews was always patient with me, and she speaks in a calm, confident, and soothing manner, which helps alleviate some of the stress and anxiety that comes along with being a nursing student. Nursing school is stressful, and nursing students are prone to burnout, depression, and anxiety.
She is the epitome of a caring professor and always seemed concerned about her students’ well-being and mental state. For example, she encouraged me to choose the topic of promoting wellness and self-care to present to her graduate nursing students in the nurse leadership portfolio course (MSN 8900). This is important because studies indicate that nursing students have higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress when compared to students of similar age who were studying other academic subjects (Mills, 2019; Tung et al., 2018). As an organization, I believe that it is important for universities to equip nursing students with self-care strategies to combat student burnout, and that is exactly what Dr. Drews did. Dr. Drews embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion by creating and nurturing a safe learning environment. I witnessed the openness, the vulnerability, and the stories that were shared by her graduate nursing students in the discussion that was held after my guest presentation on promoting wellness and self-care. One student admitted that she had decreased her hours at her job to work on self-care and was later reprimanded by her coworkers for doing so. Then, I observed the respect and the validation that was exchanged amongst her peers. It was really such an incredible and beautiful sight to watch nursing students be so comfortable and caring around each other when we have become so jaded to the “old eat young” atmosphere at work and at other graduate nursing schools. Dr. Drews expertly orchestrated this inclusive environment and guided this supportive discussion.
Dr. Drews went above-and-beyond to ensure that I have all the tools I need to be a successful student. As program chair, she has set aside time on several occasions to strategize with me on how to find a preceptor for two of my graduate nursing courses at Wilmington University since I live in Texas. Finding a preceptor was a major source of stress and anxiety for me because I had not been successful when I attended another university due to not being able to locate a preceptor in time. She ended up volunteering to be a preceptor for one of my courses to help alleviate this problem. When I was extremely nervous about presenting due to my fear of public speaking, Dr. Drews was nothing but encouraging and supportive. And my presentation turned out to be a huge success! When I had a conflict with another professor at the university that impeded my learning and I needed to take another required course that was only offered by that same professor, Dr. Drews came up with a solution. As the nursing leadership program chair, Dr. Drews created a direct study course which was taught by an assistant professor to meet my learning needs and distance education needs. She’s a significant contributing factor to my success in the graduate nursing program at Wilmington University.
Furthermore, Dr. Drews has demonstrated her enthusiasm for nursing by dedicating time to the profession outside of her work duties. For example, she is a member of and has held many positions in the local Sigma Theta Tau chapter. She has been a guest speaker for the American Heart Association and has conducted peer reviews for the Journal of Nursing Education, the Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, and Nurse Education Today. She has also presented on nursing care for human trafficking victims and has supervised nursing textbook reviews for Sage Publishers and Jones and Bartlett Learning. In closing, I wholeheartedly nominate Dr. Drews for the DAISY Award. I want her to know that these words can’t do justice to the gratitude I feel toward her. She has helped me instrumentally with pursuing my dreams and advancing my career in nursing.
References
Mills, A. (2019). Helping students to self-care and enhance their health-promotion skills. British Journal of Nursing, 28(13), 864-867. 10.12968/bjon.2019.28.13.864
Tung, Y., Lo, K., Ho, R., & Tam, W. S. (2018). Prevalence of depression among nursing students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nurse Education Today, 63, 119-129. 10.1016/j.nedt.2018.01.009
She is the epitome of a caring professor and always seemed concerned about her students’ well-being and mental state. For example, she encouraged me to choose the topic of promoting wellness and self-care to present to her graduate nursing students in the nurse leadership portfolio course (MSN 8900). This is important because studies indicate that nursing students have higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress when compared to students of similar age who were studying other academic subjects (Mills, 2019; Tung et al., 2018). As an organization, I believe that it is important for universities to equip nursing students with self-care strategies to combat student burnout, and that is exactly what Dr. Drews did. Dr. Drews embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion by creating and nurturing a safe learning environment. I witnessed the openness, the vulnerability, and the stories that were shared by her graduate nursing students in the discussion that was held after my guest presentation on promoting wellness and self-care. One student admitted that she had decreased her hours at her job to work on self-care and was later reprimanded by her coworkers for doing so. Then, I observed the respect and the validation that was exchanged amongst her peers. It was really such an incredible and beautiful sight to watch nursing students be so comfortable and caring around each other when we have become so jaded to the “old eat young” atmosphere at work and at other graduate nursing schools. Dr. Drews expertly orchestrated this inclusive environment and guided this supportive discussion.
Dr. Drews went above-and-beyond to ensure that I have all the tools I need to be a successful student. As program chair, she has set aside time on several occasions to strategize with me on how to find a preceptor for two of my graduate nursing courses at Wilmington University since I live in Texas. Finding a preceptor was a major source of stress and anxiety for me because I had not been successful when I attended another university due to not being able to locate a preceptor in time. She ended up volunteering to be a preceptor for one of my courses to help alleviate this problem. When I was extremely nervous about presenting due to my fear of public speaking, Dr. Drews was nothing but encouraging and supportive. And my presentation turned out to be a huge success! When I had a conflict with another professor at the university that impeded my learning and I needed to take another required course that was only offered by that same professor, Dr. Drews came up with a solution. As the nursing leadership program chair, Dr. Drews created a direct study course which was taught by an assistant professor to meet my learning needs and distance education needs. She’s a significant contributing factor to my success in the graduate nursing program at Wilmington University.
Furthermore, Dr. Drews has demonstrated her enthusiasm for nursing by dedicating time to the profession outside of her work duties. For example, she is a member of and has held many positions in the local Sigma Theta Tau chapter. She has been a guest speaker for the American Heart Association and has conducted peer reviews for the Journal of Nursing Education, the Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, and Nurse Education Today. She has also presented on nursing care for human trafficking victims and has supervised nursing textbook reviews for Sage Publishers and Jones and Bartlett Learning. In closing, I wholeheartedly nominate Dr. Drews for the DAISY Award. I want her to know that these words can’t do justice to the gratitude I feel toward her. She has helped me instrumentally with pursuing my dreams and advancing my career in nursing.
References
Mills, A. (2019). Helping students to self-care and enhance their health-promotion skills. British Journal of Nursing, 28(13), 864-867. 10.12968/bjon.2019.28.13.864
Tung, Y., Lo, K., Ho, R., & Tam, W. S. (2018). Prevalence of depression among nursing students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nurse Education Today, 63, 119-129. 10.1016/j.nedt.2018.01.009