Robin Cole Chosen to Speak at UWs Nursing Convocation Ceremony

Robin S. Cole, a University of Wyoming Master of Science nurse educator candidate, has been chosen by her classmates to be the speaker at the Nursing Convocation ceremony Friday, May 12, 2-4 p.m., in the Arts and Sciences auditorium.

"I was very surprised to be nominated by my peers to speak at graduation," Cole says. "It is an honor to speak to such a dedicated group of nurse leaders and their families."

Cole, from Green River, plans to address the graduating nursing students with a talk focused on leadership in the nursing profession.

"Nursing is a profession that requires lifelong learning, and graduates of our M.S. program serve in a variety of educational roles at colleges and health care organizations such as hospitals,” says Mary Burman, dean of the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing. “So, we are really excited to have Robin Cole as our speaker to talk about her experiences as a learner as well as an educator in nursing."

Though Cole was born in Craig, Colo., she is a Wyoming girl at heart.

"Craig was the closest hospital," Cole explains. "I lived in Baggs up until age 5. Then, my family moved to Cody. I lived there for four years, and then we moved to Green River. I would consider Green River my hometown, since I grew up and graduated high school there. I am a Wyoming girl at heart. I will never leave."

Cole received her associate degree in nursing from Western Wyoming Community College and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from UW. Most of her nursing career has been spent in Evanston, where she lived for the past seven years prior to moving to Cheyenne last August.

Cole says she decided to come back to school for her Master of Science in nursing because she knew she wanted to teach nursing.

"I have always jumped at the opportunity to precept students and new nurses,” she says. “My nursing instructors had such a lasting impression on me, and I knew I wanted to have a similar impact on others."

During graduate school, Cole says she has experienced a transition from clinical to the classroom.

"During my first year of school, I lived in Evanston and had a full-time job as a registered nurse in obstetrics at Evanston Regional Hospital,” she says. “I also had a part-time job as adjunct nursing faculty for Western Wyoming Community College, and a ‘PRN’ job (from the Latin ‘pro re nata,’ meaning ‘when necessary’) as a post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) registered nurse at a surgical center."

Last August, Cole, her husband and two young boys moved to Cheyenne, where she has been teaching at Laramie County Community College (LCCC) on the nursing faculty.

“After graduation, I plan to continue to work at LCCC and grow as an educator. I look forward to their new curriculum change with ReNEW (Revolutionizing Nursing Education in Wyoming)."