SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

Currently, I am Dean’s List student pursuing my Doctorate of Nursing Practice for Family Nurse Practitioner at University of Michigan-Flint and am a 2011 graduate from Grand Valley State University with my Bachelors of Science in Nursing. The focus of my graduate level capstone project is increasing patient satisfaction scores via cultural competency training to staff. Patients often receive care that is not tailored to their culture or subculture whether it be their ethnicity, work environment or interests. Providing culturally sensitive care can help the patient feel that they are included which can, in turn, increase their satisfaction. Career wise, I have been actively involved in improving patient safety through involvement in various committees including CLABSI/CAUTI champion, ethics steward and hand hygiene coach. While in graduate school, I have been an active member of the Michigan Council of Nurse Practitioners and a new inductee into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society. My current role as the president of the Student Nurse Practitioner Association at UM-Flint has been an excellent way to get myself and the members out into the community as volunteers and also into the legislative arena for nurse practitioner rights. Sitting as the student representative in the graduate student affairs committee has allowed me to make sure the student body’s voice is heard when decisions are made regarding curriculum and policy changes. Also, being a graduate student research assistant has strengthened my leadership and organizational skills while also gaining many valuable networking connections.