Moraine Valley Community College program coordinator and assistant professor of Nursing, Leslie Moyar, was awarded one of the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) Nurse Educator Fellowships. Only around 20 individuals earn this honor across Illinois.
Since 2014, the IBHE has instituted the Nurse Educator Fellowship Program to ensure the retention of qualified nursing faculty at colleges and universities that provide nursing programs throughout Illinois. The award is meant to further develop the teaching and/or leadership skills of instructors.
Moraine Valley Community College program coordinator and assistant professor of Nursing, Leslie Moyar, was awarded an Illinois Board of Higher Education Nurse Educator Fellowship.
Moyar has been a nurse for 10 years after a career change from being an accountant for 20 years. She has taught at Moraine Valley for the past six years and still works in the clinical setting as a nurse practitioner.
“We are honored to have one of our full-time nursing faculty selected as a recipient of this year’s IBHE Nurse Educator Fellowship award. This is a great accomplishment, as only a select few are chosen for this prestigious honor,” said Dr. LoShay Willis, dean of Career Programs. “This award will allow Leslie to enhance and expand nursing simulations education, which will better prepare students for their live clinical experiences, leading to better outcomes and student success.”
This award will help Moyar grow as a nurse educator and leader in the profession, specifically in helping her complete a doctorate in education and attending two conferences. One conference will help Moyar learn new ways to teach and prepare students for the board exam while the other is specific to simulation in nurse education.
“We use a lot of patient simulation scenarios to help students experience what it is like to be in a patient care situation. We implemented the virtual reality patient simulation software at Moraine Valley last year. I want to expand my knowledge about how to use simulation as a teaching tool, and the conference will help me to do that,” Moyar explained. “The award will ultimately help me bring new ideas back to Moraine Valley, which I can share with other faculty. Students will benefit from the new material as well.”
For news media inquiries, contact Maura Vizza, Moraine Valley communications specialist and sports information coordinator, at (708) 974-5742 or Vizzam@morainevalley.edu.
