Betsy McDowell one of 22 nurse educators inducted 2015 class of Fellows

Staff Report

Dr. Betsy McDowell from Newberry College has been selected for induction into the Academy of Nursing Education.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_McDowell-Betsy.jpgDr. Betsy McDowell from Newberry College has been selected for induction into the Academy of Nursing Education.

NEWBERRY — Dr. Betsy McDowell, chair of the Department of Nursing at Newberry College, has been selected by the National League for Nursing for membership in the ninth class of Fellows to be inducted into the Academy of Nursing Education.

With the addition of this new 22-member class of Fellows, total membership in the Academy of Nursing Education now stands at 216 leaders in nurse education from nursing programs across the academic spectrum and from other organizations committed to advancing the quality of health care.

“I am pleased and honored to be included in the Academy of Nursing Education,” McDowell said. “The NLN continues to be a vital resource for best practices and professional development of nurse educators as we strengthen and grow the nursing program at Newberry College.”

The NLN established the Academy of Nursing Education in 2007 to foster excellence in nursing education by recognizing and capitalizing on the wisdom of outstanding nurse educators.

A resident of Ninety Six, McDowell is licensed as a registered nurse in South Carolina. She has more than 40 years of experience as a nurse educator and in various pediatric and critical care areas of the hospital. She came to Newberry College to launch the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program in 2007.

McDowell was nationally certified as a critical care nurse for 33 years, most recently as a pediatric critical care nurse (1992-2010). She currently is nationally certified as an academic nurse educator through the National League for Nursing. She also is a trustee of the Neuman Systems Model, which serves as the basis for the nursing curriculum at Newberry College.

McDowell received her bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her Ph.D. in Nursing Science from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Her master’s work focused on pediatric acute care nursing and her doctoral dissertation was a longitudinal study exploring family responses to having an infant on a home apnea monitor at three different time points.

The Academy of Nursing Education Review Panel conducts a rigorous competitive application process before recommending candidates for fellowship in the Academy of Nursing Education.

Candidates are evaluated on the basis of their contributions to innovative teaching and/or learning strategies, nursing education research, faculty development activities, academic leadership, promotion of public policy that advances nursing education and collaborative educational, practice or community partnerships.

The induction ceremony for the ninth class of Fellows will take place in October during the National League for Nursing’s 2015 Education Summit in Las Vegas.

This release was provided by Newberry College.