The BSN program at Shorter, which was recently accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, is led by Dr. Angela Haynes, who has been promoted to the position of Dean of the School of Nursing. She has served as Assistant Professor of Nursing at Shorter since 2011 and as a Family Nurse Practitioner in Georgia since 2007.
Dr. Haynes will lead a full complement of faculty members, including School of Nursing veteran Roxanne Johnston, who has served as Assistant Professor of Nursing at Shorter since January 2009. Mrs. Johnston was one of the first nursing faculty members hired for Shorter University’s School of Nursing and played an instrumental role in the establishment of the university’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program.
In addition, the School of Nursing welcomes four new full-time faculty members: veteran nursing educator Dr. Twilla Haynes, Carol Brown, Kris Douglass, and Rachel Moyer Johnson. The new nursing faculty includes an increase of one full-time faculty position, added to meet the growing enrollment of Shorter’s nursing program. The first class of 24 BSN students graduated from Shorter in May. This fall the program will welcome 34 senior nursing majors and 48 junior nursing majors.
“God has equipped us beautifully with a faculty who have a wealth of experience in nursing,” Dr. Angela Haynes said. “We are expert nurses because of the skills we have honed for years; we bring that experience to our students. We also have a passion for student success and a desire to be here at Shorter University, where we can offer the absolute best nursing education and couple that with a Christ-centered approach.
“The renewed strength of the School of Nursing is a testimony to God’s faithfulness campus-wide,” she added. “He’s given us an opportunity to invest ourselves in transforming lives through Christ.”
Dr. Angela Haynes has been a Family Nurse Practitioner in Georgia certified by ANCC since 2007. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Converse College and the Master of Public Health from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the Master of Nursing – FNP degrees from Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the University of Alabama’s Capstone College School of Nursing. Dr. Haynes is co-founder and Family Nurse Practitioner at Health Connection, Inc., and has served as co-director of the Earthquake Displaced Relief Center in Cap Haitian, Haiti. She also has worked as a cardiac nurse at Emory University Hospital, executive director of the Georgia Partnership for Caring Foundation Inc., and as communications director for the Northeast Georgia Health District. She is a member of the American Nurses Association, Georgia Nurses Association, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, American Public Health Association, Georgia Public Health Association, and Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing.
Roxanne Johnston has been a Registered Nurse since 1994 and has certification and is an instructor for both Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Basic Cardiac Life Support. She earned the Associate of Science in Nursing degree from Floyd College, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the State University of West Georgia, and the Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Nursing Education from the University of West Georgia. She is pursuing a Doctor of Education in Nursing Education at the University of West Georgia. Before coming to Shorter, Mrs. Johnston worked at Gordon Hospital in Calhoun, serving as an infection prevention and control professional, director of quality management, assistant educator, and charge nurse/staff nurse in both the Intensive Care Unit and in the Medical/Surgical Unit. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing and the Georgia Association for Nursing Education. She was recognized as Critical Care Nurse of the Year in 2004.
Dr. Twilla Haynes comes to Shorter from Georgia State University School of Nursing, where she has served as a part-time member of the Community Health Nursing Clinical Nursing faculty since 1996 and taught courses related to Global Health. Emory University included her on its list of “175 Makers of History,” which honored individuals who have demonstrated ethical engagement and courageous leadership and have a legacy of imparting knowledge to others. The awards Website describes Dr. Haynes as a humanitarian and nurse, adding the following: “Twilla Haynes has used her passion for health care in one of the world’s struggling nations: Haiti. With the help of her daughters, Dr. Haynes founded the Hope Haven Orphanage and clinics known as Eternal Hope in Haiti. The orphanage specializes in caring for medically fragile children. Eternal Hope clinics treat an estimated 7,000 needy people each year, providing more than 286 million pounds of food, medicine and supplies. Dr. Haynes currently works with the Lillian Carter Center for International Nursing. She co-founded Health Connections, an Atlanta-based organization tending to 5,400 poor and underserved patients annually.”
Dr. Haynes is also a recipient of the Emory Medal, Emory University’s highest alumni honor, given in recognition of her humanitarian work in Haiti and in Georgia. Since founding Eternal Hope, she has continued to serve as the organization’s president, developing an International Health/Global Nursing Course that provides clinical and research-based experience in the areas of Community Nursing, Adult Nursing, Pediatric Nursing, Nurse Midwifery, and research courses for student-nurses at the graduate and undergraduate levels. In addition, Dr. Haynes has served since 1996 as Nurse Practitioner at Health Connection, Inc., in Jefferson, Ga., which has clinical affiliation agreements with Brenau University, the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, North Georgia College, and the Medical College of Georgia. Her educational experience includes six years as Associate Professor of Nursing at the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing at Mercer University and seven years on the nursing faculty at the Medical College of Nursing in Athens. Dr. Haynes earned a diploma in Nursing from the Hamlet School of Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia School of Nursing, the Nurse Practitioner certification from the Adult/Gerontology Practitioner Program of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, and a Master of Science in Nursing with an emphasis in Community Health Nursing from the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory. She is completing a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in Advanced Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama and holds a Juris Doctorate from Atlanta Law School. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing; American Nurses Association; and Georgia Nurses Association. As a faculty member, she was the state consultant to the Georgia Association of Nursing Students.
Carol Brown joined Shorter University as an MSN practicum student in 2011. She served as an Adjunct Professor of Nursing in 2012, working with junior level students in their international studies in Bulgaria. She is joining Shorter’s School of Nursing as a full-time faculty member. With 25 years of clinical nursing experience in Pediatrics, Obstetrics, Lactation, Home Health and Infusion Therapy, Mrs. Brown has served as a staff nurse and in various management roles. She has provided community education with Childbirth, Newborn Care, and Lactation courses. Her experience includes working for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Wellstar Health System, Piedmont Hospital, Northside Hospital, and Emory Johns Creek. She also has provided community healthcare with Visiting Nurse and Healthfield. She received her Associate of Science in Nursing from Floyd College and her Master of Science in Nursing with an Education Specialization from Walden University. She is a certified Lactation Consultant with a private practice.
Having served as a Registered Nurse since 1979, Kris Douglass brings a broad range of professional and educational experience to her post at Shorter. Outside of the hospital environment, her experience includes psychiatric, school, and camp nursing. Most recently, she has worked at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), both as a staff nurse and a unit educator on a cardiovascular/cardiothoracic surgical step down unit. Since 2008, she has served as a Nurse Educator in the Center for Education and Best Practice at MUSC. She has been involved in leadership development as chair of the MUSC Nurse Alliance and has been awarded the DAISY Award for extraordinary nurses and the South Carolina Foundation’s Palmetto Gold Award. Mrs. Douglass earned a diploma in Nursing from the West Suburban Hospital School of Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Eastern Mennonite University, and a Master of Science in Nursing Leadership with an Education focus from Regis University. She is currently completing a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at Gardner-Webb University. She is also Board Certified in Nursing Professional Development. Mrs. Douglass is passionate about integrating faith into practice to help Shorter nursing students fulfill their God-given potential and develop into caring and competent nurse leaders.
Rachel Johnson has worked as a staff nurse on medical and surgical floors for five years, in both Georgia and Tennessee, as well as a Family Nurse Practitioner at a walk-in clinic in Georgia. She earned her Associate of Science in Nursing with emphasis in leadership and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from North Georgia College and State University. She received her Master of Science in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner from Belmont University. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing.
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Ms. Haynes received her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing in 2007, at which time she also obtained her INITIAL license to practice as a nurse. She later completed her Master's Degree in Family Nurse Practitioner in 2009. I'm not sure how Ms. Haynes has "practiced" as a FNP since 2007 when she hadn't successfully completed the program until 2009. Also, Ms. Haynes has just recently received her DNP. (August 2012)
Based on Georgia Board of Nursing regulations, it appears that Ms. Haynes does not satisfy the qualifications to be the dean or administrator of a BSN program. One KEY requirement is to have 3 or more years as a nurse educator and Ms. Haynes has 2 semesters of experience in that area.
Another interesting FACT is that as the new dean, Ms. Haynes has hired her mother, Dr. Twilla Haynes, as faculty which is completely violating Shorter's nepotism policy. It would be interesting to know if the Board has approved this exception since they are the ones that approved the policy in the first place.
The School of Nursing at Shorter will suffer due to the recent turnover and the lack of experience from incoming faculty. Unfortunately, the students will be the ones who will pay the price.
The group of faculty/staff that created this program will be truly missed. The nursing school was a friendly, efficient, and inviting atmosphere and now all of that has changed.
I only hope that the students who remain in this nursing program will succeed. It will take a lot of hard work and self discipline to complete the program and become a licensed nurse. I find it hard to believe that instructors with absolutely NO teaching/classroom experience will be able to provide the students with the quality education they are paying for.
A formerly proud Shorter Graduate
A formerly proud GBC member
It is not uncommon in professional disciplines (as opposed to tradition academic disciplines) for the professorship to be largely composed of accomplished practitioners. I've heard of no major changes to the science curriculum. Do you have evidence to the contrary?