Moraine Valley’s Kelli Nickols is bettering her own skills after earning a Nurse Educator Fellowship from the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
To further help her students, Moraine Valley Community College professor, Kelli Nickols, is bettering her own skills after earning a Nurse Educator Fellowship from the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
Nickols, assistant professor and department chair of Nursing, was selected for the state fellowship following an application process. Among the recipients are instructors from both community colleges and four-year colleges and universities.
“Only 19 awards were given across Illinois. We are proud that Kelli is among one of the recipients,” said Georgina Murphy, Moraine Valley director of Nursing. “Obtaining this award will absolutely ensure that our students, college and community will benefit from her knowledge and leadership in the future.”
This one-year grant aims to enhance retention of qualified nursing faculty by supporting their professional growth. As a new department chair, Nickols will use this opportunity to attend workshops and conferences as well as take nursing-based courses, which is pivotal as nursing education standards and trends continuously change.
“It is an honor to be a nurse educator with an opportunity to enhance my role as a professional. Students rely on the knowledge that we as nurse leaders bring not only to the classroom, but also to the entire program,” Nickols said. “The new information I learn about curriculum, nursing test-taking, organizational development, and accreditation will not only help me, but will also help my colleagues and the nursing program here at Moraine Valley. I look forward to my journey to grow as a nurse educator.”
