With no end in sight for the COVID-19 pandemic, educators of all backgrounds are striving to find virtual and innovative teaching solutions for their students. In the realm of nursing education, there are a few caveats; nurse educators must now find ways to capture the in-person clinical experience in a virtual format while adhering to the specific didactic and clinical competency requirements set by their respective state boards.
On this episode, we will dig deeper into the ups and downs of virtual experiential education with Dr. Joan Edwards, former AWHONN President, Professor at Texas Woman’s University and Director of its Center for Global Nursing, Diego Rivas, a student of Dr. Edwards, and Barry Dye, their former patient. Dr. Edwards, Diego, and Barry will share the ways in which they’ve had to navigate this new normal from the teacher, learner, and patient perspectives.
About the Speakers
Dr. Joan E. Edwards, PHD, RNC, CNS, FAAN
Joan Edwards is a tenured professor at Texas Women’s University (TWU) in Houston and Director of the TWU Center for Global Nursing since 2008. She has a diploma in nursing from Copley Memorial Hospital School of Nursing (now part of Aurora University) in Aurora, Ill., a BSN from the University of Illinois and a MN from the University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Her PhD, with an emphasis on community and global health, is from University of Texas. Edwards is certified in high-risk perinatal nursing and is affiliated with the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), having served as President in 2006. In addition to working as a labor and delivery nurse prior to 2002, Edwards taught nursing in Kalimantan (Borneo) as a medical missionary. She led People to People Ambassadorship Programs for the US government comprised of nurses and midwives to China in 2008 and 2009. She was inducted as a Fellow by the American Academy of Nurses in 2015.
Barry Dye, Former Patient of Dr. Edwards
Barry is a new mom living in Phoenix with her husband, Ted, and pug dog Stella. Barry grew up in a small town in Southern California and works for a restaurant group based in Phoenix. Barry spent the majority of her professional life as a restaurant manager but has recently moved into a training and development role. She and her husband recently welcomed the birth of their first daughter Beatrice and look forward to life as parents to their darling little girl.
Diego Rivas, Nursing Student
Diego Rene Rivas was born a small town in rural South Texas and currently resides in Houston where he is starting his senior year at Texas Woman’s University and pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. A father of a five-year-old boy who is approaching his first year of kindergarten, Diego started the transition into nursing a little later in life. He previously worked as a Harley Davidson mechanic for over five years before deciding to go back to school to pursue his dream in medicine.
Throughout his academic career, he has worked as a veterinary technician at several animal emergency hospitals. His goal is to one day practice in a high-volume trauma unit or ER, transition into a master’s program, and become a CPNP-AC (certified pediatric nurse practitioner-acute care). Diego’s hobbies include fishing and spending time with his son.
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