Title:
Faculty, MSN-FNP Program in the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions
Years at GCU:
I have been with GCU for just over a year. I started as part-time faculty with the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions. My hope when accepting my positions was that one day I would have the opportunity to become full-time faculty. God made that a possibility just before I celebrated my one-year anniversary with GCU.
Academic degrees:
My original degree in nursing is actually an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Glendale Community College. About two years later I enrolled in one of GCU’s first RN-BSN programs. My master’s degree in Nursing-FNP is also from GCU, and in October 2018 I completed my Doctorate of Nursing Practice from GCU.
What is your most notable accomplishment in your field, and why was it important?
One of my most notable accomplishments as a nurse practitioner has been my work in infant feeding. My doctoral project concentrated on parent anxiety in relation to their infant’s procedure. The results from the study have reinforced and changed practice in the clinic in which I work. I look forward to publishing the project. I think as providers we are always trying to improve our practice and assist our patients in accomplishing their greatest level of health. I am proud that the project was able to impact practice.
What are you most passionate about in your field and why?
As a nurse practitioner, I think there are so many areas that I can be passionate. In the last eight years as a nurse practitioner, I have spent most of my time in a pediatric clinic. I have the privilege to speak to parents as they welcome their first child, to educate grandparents as they parent their grandchildren and to support and assist families as they understand and navigate difficult diagnoses.
I am passionate about supporting and educating families as they develop an understanding about their health and empowering them to make educated health decisions. Just like many things in life, learning the fundamentals can create good healthy lifestyles. I believe if we can start with talking to our children and their parents at a young age about the foods we eat, healthy activities and developing healthy family habits, we can change a household and possible change a community.
As a faculty member and educator in the nurse practitioner program, my hope if that I can instill some of my excitement for our profession to the future nurse providers that I am educating.
What is a memorable moment you had in class, and what does that reveal about your teaching style?
I think for me the greatest blessing is being able to teach individuals who work in a profession that I love (nursing) and having the opportunity to precept and teach them how to further their profession as an advanced practice provider (nurse practitioner). My most memorable moments include watching students develop their advanced assessment skills, working with students as they complete didactic learning, and hearing from students that initially may have been timid but have grown and feel more confident in their understanding of patient care.
What do you like to do for fun in your spare time?
I love sitting with a good book reading or being outdoors. I find that hiking is an activity that is refreshing to my spirit, and I get to explore new places that I may have missed if I didn’t take the time to explore. I enjoy adventures and enjoy talking my family into going on adventures with me.
What is something interesting about you that most people don't know?
I was named after the Beatles song "Penny Lane." My dad is still a big Beatles fan, and when he and my mom started having kids that was his one request -- that the first girl be named Penny Lane. So along came child number 3 (me), and my mom agreed with my dad but changed the spelling to Penny Laine so that it wasn’t the exact street name spelling.
