Nursing Staff and Faculty Candy Honored at College Of Health Sciences Awards Presentation
On Thursday, April 29, 2021, the College of Health Sciences presented annual awards through a first-time ZOOM event. Nursing staff member Dawn Carver was awarded "Outstanding Staff Member" for 0-5 years service; and nursing faculty member Candy Stidolph received the "Outstanding Teacher" award for 2021. Read about the award winners below:
Dawn Carver: Outstanding Staff Member
The following was taken from the presentation read about Carver at the CHS event:
This award recognizes an outstanding staff member within the College of Health Sciences who has made significant contributions early in her career. Dawn Carver was selected for this award due to her significant impact throughout all nursing programs at the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing.
Dawn is recognized throughout the FWWSON for her professionalism, intellect, leadership, and commitment to growth and excellence. Dawn joined the School of Nursing as a Credentials Analyst/Academic Advisor for the BRAND (Accelerated BSN), MS, and DNP programs in September of 2016. Her contributions throughout these programs have been significant over the last 5 years.
Dawn has brought much needed insight, order, and calm to the three distance programs she works with in the School of Nursing. She is also a valued member of the DNP faculty team and routinely offers important insights and solutions that help us work more efficiently and effectively. In recent months, the School of Nursing has undergone a major curriculum revision to meet its accrediting body’s most new educational requirements. This revision process was huge and had to be done quickly to be in place by the Fall of 2021. It is noted that without exaggeration, that the School of Nursing could not have accomplished this without Dawn. She not only managed the hundreds of course action request forms (CARFs) and old/new syllabi required, but with her background in adult education, she also contributed greatly to curricular redesign itself –including programs of study, course titles, course descriptions, course learning outcomes, etc.
According to a nominator, “I also am impressed by Dawn’s leadership and her personal commitment to excellence and to self and system improvement. She is always looking for and implementing processes to make her work and the DNP program more efficiently and views challenges and errors as opportunities, not setbacks. Although she was not able to do this during the pandemic, Dawn routinely (and voluntarily) spends a week of her vacation time every year attending a leadership conference in Minnesota. Dawn finds this event personally recharging; however, she also uses and applies the knowledge and skills she learns from this conference to improve her work at the School of Nursing. In summary, Dawn has been such a wonderful addition to the School of Nursing. Dawn has brought much needed professionalism and improvements to the DNP program, and faculty and students alike have benefitted immensely from Dawn’s work."
Congratulations, Dawn Carver!
Candy Stidolph: Outstanding Teacher
The following was taken from the presentation read about Stidolph at the CHS event:
This award is given in recognition for excellence in classroom and clinical teaching in the College of Health Sciences.
Candy is recognized today for consistently going above and beyond to ensure excellence in clinical education for our Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) family nurse practitioner students. The main focus of Candy’s teaching is clinical education for FNP students, which requires a sophisticated and diverse skill set. Candy recruits and arranges quality clinical experiences with clinical preceptors and agencies across Wyoming and its bordering states. Additionally, Candy assures that each student has mastered the necessary clinical skills for the provision of primary care prior to embarking in the clinical setting. The coordination required in the clinical development for each of these students is difficult to describe, yet Ms. Stidolph masterfully navigates these obstacles. Not only are our students well-prepared and highly sought-after graduates, but Ms. Stidolph is consistently praised by students on their exit-interviews for her efforts in individualized clinical instruction.
While reviewing the nomination packet, it is not surprising that many individuals came forward to share words and emphasize the impact that Candy has made on them personally. These comments came from fellow faculty, current, and former students of Candy’s. Here are some of their words:
“Candy Stidolph has an unfailing commitment to excellence in every sphere of graduate and undergraduate education. She is clearly one of the finest, most well-prepared and natural teachers I have had the pleasure of working with at the academic nursing level.”
“Seeing [Candy] in practice inspired me to pursue nursing myself…when it came to pick a program for my DNP I knew I wanted to learn from NPs I loved and respected, so it was clear I wanted to be a part of any program Candy was part of!”
“Candy has been one instructor I have always felt I could approach. She has been nothing but kind, compassionate, and supportive. I was really struggling once, and she took the time to listen to my concerns…she has a calming sense about her and makes you feel like you are valued and important.”
During unprecedented challenges of supporting a clinical program during a pandemic, one student noted that Candy “took the time to make a lengthy video response” in order to more personally relate to the student.
Congratulations, Candy Stidolph!
Page placed: 4/30/2021