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#YearoftheNurseEducator—Brittany Fenderson

Picture of Brittany Van Iperen

Why did you decide to become a nurse?

I felt like I was called to be a nurse.

What drew you to become a nurse educator?

I found myself passionate about teaching and I enjoyed watching students in the clinical setting get excited about practicing the nursing skills that they had learned

How has your nurse educator certification helped you in your faculty role?

It has allowed me to think deeper about teaching and learning strategies.  It has made me want to be more intentional about what I present and why in the classroom. 

What is one of your greatest accomplishments? 

I’m proud of being a nurse educator.  It has been a dream of mine for a while. 

What is a fun fact about yourself?

I have been out of the country twice: Costa Rica in high school and Jamaica for our honeymoon.

What you'd like students to know?

Nursing school is not easy, but I hope you know that you are entering a profession unlike any other.  As a nurse, you get to step into people’s lives.  Some days you will laugh and others you will cry, but your life will have new meaning.  One day you will look back and know that the whole journey was worth it.

Tip: My first year as a nurse I kept a journal that I would update after (just about) every shift.  It was fun to look back after a year and see how much I had grown.