Nurse’s Touch Award Exemplifies the Best of the Best

Leawood, Kan., March 23, 2023 — In early January, Gallup announced that — for the 21^st consecutive year — Americans’ ratings of the honesty and ethical standards of 18 occupations put nurses at the top.

“Nurses continue to garner the highest ethics rating from Americans among a diverse list of professions, a distinction they have held for more than two decades. The 79% of U.S. adults who now say nurses have ‘very high’ or ‘high’ honesty and ethical standards is far more than any of the other 17 professions rated,” the report noted.

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The No. 1 ranking is no surprise to those who work in healthcare, especially considering the pandemic. After all, the nursing profession’s members set a high bar for themselves in a field that becomes more complex every day. While Florence Nightingale had to battle a bumbling bureaucracy, and Clara Barton famously dodged bullets, today’s nurses face challenges unique to the modern world. They are, in fact, the linchpin of a high-tech healthcare system that asks them to simultaneously act as skilled-care providers, information sharers, wellness educators, and quality-control experts.

Helping nurses develop skills for such multivariate roles are nurse educators, the professors in nursing programs at colleges and universities. And, each year, the most highly skilled of these individuals are honored with the prestigious, nationally recognized Nurse’s Touch Award from ATI Nursing Education (Leawood, Kan.).

For 2022, the award recipients are:

- Gary Brack, MSN-Ed, RN, NE-BC, Northern Career Institute (Willoughby-Eastlake, Ohio)

- Dawn M. DePriest, DNP, ARNP, FNP-C, Washington State University

- Belinda Terrell Fuller, MSN, BSN, ADN, Gadsden State Community College (Alabama)

- Paula Kustenbauder, DNP, RN, CCRN, CNE, Pennsylvania State (Altoona, Pa.).

The best of the best nurse educators

The special individuals who are named as Nurse’s Touch Award honorees not only must excel at teaching students the technical knowledge and skills required to be safe and competent, but they also must set the example for students. The best among them seem to naturally model the special qualities that make nurses so memorable — and, per the Gallup poll, trustworthy.

These individuals, in other words, have “The Nurse’s Touch.”

Choosing the honorees

Four qualities are essential to having this special “touch” and being invited into this elite echelon of nurse educators:

1. Professional communication

2. Wellness/self-care

3. Knowledge of nursing informatics/technology

4. Leadership/management.

Each fall, peers and managers within the nursing profession nominate individuals who exemplify these qualities. A rigorous review and scoring process whittles the nominees to a handful representing four regions of the United States. One is then chosen from each region as its honoree.

The rewards of being winners

In honor of their achievement, each of this year’s winners will receive complimentary registration, hotel lodging, and airfare to attend the 2023 National Nurse Educator Summit in San Antonio. The group of winners will be honored in a special awards ceremony at the event. (The Summit is a professional-development conference featuring and attended by hundreds of nurse educators from across the country.) 

To read more about the Nurse’s Touch Award, please visit www.atitesting.com/educator/solutions/nurses-touch/award.

Gary Brack, MSN-Ed, RN, NE-BC, Northern Career Institute (Willoughby-Eastlake, Ohio)

Prof. Gary Brack is an experienced nurse educator with more than 25 years of clinical practice experience. Prof. Brack began his career as a licensed practical nurse in the emergency nursing setting and instantly developed a respect and passion for the practice of nursing. Throughout his distinguished career in nursing, Prof. Brack has worn many hats including nurse, educator, supervisor, director, administrator, and risk manager. His solid knowledge base of leadership, administration, and project management has had a very positive impact on patient-centered care. Prof. Brack was nominated for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for advocating for safer nursing practices through safer staffing models and dedication to the betterment of the lives of the most vulnerable. He holds a master’s of science degree in nursing with a specialty focus in nursing education along with board certification as a nurse executive through the American Nurse Credentialing Center. As a nursing instructor, he has designed and implemented numerous case studies, simulations, and classroom activities that allow students to examine critically evidence based-techniques that promote therapeutic communication, as well as overcoming sources of bias, even as they construct their own concept of patient-centered care. Prof. Brack has used every opportunity to both role model and educate students on the importance on developing personal leadership and management skills so, as nurses, they are inspired to positively impact their patients at the bedside, local, national, and world levels.

What Prof. Brack has to say:

“Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with students from all walks of life, and I am constantly amazed by their resilience, creativity, and passion. Each of my students is unique, and I make it a point to get to know them as individuals. By understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles, I am able to create a learning environment that is supportive, engaging, and challenging. Teaching is not always easy; it requires patience, dedication, and a willingness to freely give of yourself, often working long hours. But when I see my students succeed — whether it’s mastering a difficult concept, acing an exam, or pursuing their dreams — I know it is all worth it. I firmly believe that teaching is a partnership between the teacher and the student. As a teacher, my job is to provide guidance, resources, and support. But, ultimately, students must take responsibility for their own learning. I encourage my students to ask questions, challenge themselves, and take risks. One of the things of which I am most proud in my teaching career is the connections I have made with my students. I have had the opportunity to work with students from diverse backgrounds and have learned so much from each one of them. I believe when students feel connected to their teachers, and their peers, they are more likely to take risks, persevere through challenges and achieve their goals. And, I get to be part of it. I am humbled and honored. I feel it is a privilege to inspire and motivate others to be better. Teaching is not just a job for me; it is a calling. I am excited to attend the National Nurse Educator Summit and engage in dialogue with fellow educators to share pedagogic practices. Our school utilizes and incorporates ATI products into the lesson planning, and we have found it increased the students’ overall comprehension of material. I find ATI product content is easy for the students to understand and is extremely beneficial in helping students to master some of the more difficult or challenging lessons. The resources within ATI are great adjuncts to prepare the students for their NCLEX.”

What peers have to say about Prof. Brack’s level of excellence in “Professional communication” skills, particularly regarding teaching therapeutic communication techniques:

He holds himself to an extraordinarily high personal standard of professional communication and comportment in verbal and written communication. In doing so, he serves as a role model to students, peers, and administrators, frequently stressing the importance of overt and nuanced communication strategies, both verbal and nonverbal. For many students who are new to the profession of nursing, the dual challenge of learning skills of professional and therapeutic are challenging. But, through many vignettes, Mr. Brack freely explores delicate patient-care situations and provocative — even controversial — opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.” — David Foley (peer)

What peers have to say about Prof. Brack’s level of excellence in "Wellness & self-care," particularly regarding understanding techniques for managing stress:

“Where other instructors may shy away from broaching sensitive topics as mental health, resilience, and self-care, Mr. Brack actively explores them with students. Many students enter the [nursing] program with a lack of social capital and academic preparation. Nevertheless, for many of them, the LPN program is a viable pathway to social and economic mobility. They often quickly experience multiple endogenous and exogenous stressors including work-life balance, managing expectations, and even housing and food insecurities. Mr. Brack looks beyond these overt academic needs to gain aesthetic knowledge of the uniqueness and individuality of each of his students. Despite average class sizes of 25 students, Mr. Brack displays unwavering dedication to promoting individual student success, especially by leveraging the potential of available wrap-around services (student liaisons, social work, and case management) for early identification of student need.” — David Foley (peer)

What peers have to say about Prof. Brack’s level of excellence in "Nursing informatics & technology," particularly regarding using digital tools efficiently and improving client care:

“Mr. Brack has a distinguished record of exploring technology and other pedagogical innovations in support of pre-licensure nursing education. Seeing beyond the known limitations of traditional educational methods, he has worked diligently to harness the potentials of the school’s learning management system and the ATI program as part of a thoughtfully designed pathway to student success. He has gained personal mastery in teaching each of the didactic, nursing skills lab and clinical courses. His ability to utilize ATI resources in these varied settings is unmatched by his peers.” — David Foley (peer)

What peers have to say about Prof. Brack’s level of excellence in "Leadership & management," particularly regarding helping develop students’ understanding of what being a leader means and increasing their confidence in developing this skill:

“Mr. Brack’s personal sense of leadership and management exudes concepts of social justice and the heuristics, bias, and stigma that may prevent certain patients and communities from receiving quality health care. A colleague once said Mr. Brack has the ability to ‘speak his truth’ to promote optimal leadership for effective patient care. Such truth is a foundational element of his teaching practice, the totality of which has contributed to the success of hundreds of students to date.” — David Foley (peer)

What peers have to say about Prof. Brack’s level of excellence in being a “Professional nurse,” particularly regarding inculcating a sense of professional identity in relation to knowledge, skills, and ethics:

"He encourages faculty and students alike to cultivate a healthy professional identity and often offers to tutor students on his own time and to act as a mentor to faculty as they develop their skills. He maintains an active role in the student experience by working with the administrative team to promote their success. By nurturing these emerging professional identities, his goal has historically been to promote the development of resilient nurses who will serve the community at large in the most knowledgeable, skilled, and ethical manner possible.” — David Foley (peer)

Dawn M. DePriest, DNP, ARNP, FNP-C, Washington State University

Dr. Dawn DePriest started her nursing career as a BSN graduate from Saint Anselm College in 1995. Her career began as an Air Force ROTC graduate and led to 20 years of active-duty service as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. Dr. DePriest started as a bedside nurse and has worked with teams in the inpatient and outpatient arenas before becoming a flight nurse. Her focus was as a disaster planner and educator in support of operations not just at home but across the globe. She received her DNP at Washington State University as a family nurse practitioner and later joined Washington State University as faculty in 2015 at the College of Nursing. She has a wide variety of expertise in experiential learning and simulation and appreciates the collaborative development of nursing educational methods to promote better patient care and outcomes. When she is not teaching or leading the Experiential Learning program across the college’s four campus locations, she practices acupuncture with Traditional Chinese Medicine as an integrative approach to promote whole-person health and well-being.

What Dr. DePriest has to say:

“I am honored and incredibly humbled to receive the Nurse’s Touch Award! I could not be the educator I am without the support of my incredible colleagues, nursing leaders, and students. As an educator, I am also a lifelong learner, and ATI has been a platform to advance the art and science of experiential learning with innovation to transform nursing education and practice. I am grateful to be a part of shaping the nurses of tomorrow to deliver person-centered care in the rapidly changing healthcare environment.”

What peers have to say about Dr. DePriest’s level of excellence in "Professional communication," particularly regarding teaching therapeutic communication techniques:

“Dawn is the director of the center for experiential learning. As a military veteran, she understands the importance of communicating effectively. She helps students learn how to communicate in the simulation lab and with standardized patients. Dawn listens, reflects, and is a change agent. During the pandemic and beyond, simulation changed rapidly. Dawn is able to standardize communication processes so all have access to real-time simulation schedules. While this seems simple, this change affected 520 students and 80+ faculty. Prior to Dawn, these schedules were on paper. Managing simulation in a multicampus program is a challenge. Dawn is able to go directly to the team, ask for input, gain clarification, and make nimble change as needed. I believe her expertise is directly related to her strong communication skills.” — Wendy Williams-Gilbert (peer and 2021 Nurse’s Touch Award honoree)

What peers have to say about DePriest’s level of excellence in "Wellness & self-care," particularly regarding understanding techniques for managing stress:

“Dawn should be the poster child for self-care. In addition to running the experiential learning center, she is an NP with an alternative medicine background. She integrates healing practices into her life, simulation, and with her employees. She understands how hectic nursing education can be, so she sets the example by sharing her practice with her team. She always ensures her team eats, takes a break, and has a place to relax. This is huge, and many nurses and educators eat lunch at their desks, rarely take breaks, and work into the late hours of the day. Dawn understands the boundaries of work, and I think that makes her a great example of self-care.“ — Wendy Williams-Gilbert (peer and 2021 Nurse’s Touch Award honoree)

What peers have to say about DePriest’s level of excellence in "Nursing informatics & technology," particularly regarding using digital tools efficiently and improving client care:

“This current school year, Dawn has been piloting excellent technological innovations. One is doing more skills practice virtually by utilizing skills modular trainers, ATI skills videos/quizzes, and sim-capture software. She is aware of how valuable lab time is for students, and this provides the opportunity to safely practice at home with faculty feedback. Then, using EHR Tutor and lab space, she has set up practice scenarios. This gives students hands-on, real-life experience to learn a skill, eliminates down time, and helps increase clinical confidence. This has extremely helped our first-semester students gain confidence and perform better in clinical practice.” — Wendy Williams-Gilbert (peer and 2021 Nurse’s Touch Award honoree)

What peers have to say about DePriest’s level of excellence in "Leadership & management," particularly regarding helping develop students’ understanding of what being a leader means and increasing their confidence in developing this skill:

“There is no one I look to more for leadership than Dawn. I think her 20+ years as an Air Force nurse, working in war situations, has adequately prepared her to teach nursing students. She has grit, determination, and a caring heart. Whether it's a student or faculty, she is able to listen, reflect, and act. She is a great peer when things are challenging as she can get to the meat of the problem to find solutions. One quality that she has (I wish I had it) is her ability to ask, ‘What if?’ When presented with a problem, her first statement is, ‘What if we did ... ?’ or ‘How could we do ... ?’ She always is up for any innovation and is complimentary of any new idea. I think that is an excellent example of leadership, and it trickles down to the students. They see her can-do attitude, and then they try new and different educational modalities. She also is able to bring faculty around. While she understands the complexities of nursing education, she always says, ‘At least I am not standing up a program while being shot at.’ This may sound harsh, but it does give great perspective, as many in nursing have to provide care in really challenging situations.” — Wendy Williams-Gilbert (peer and 2021 Nurse’s Touch Award honoree)

What peers have to say about Dr. DePriest’s level of excellence in being a “Professional nurse,” particularly regarding inculcating a sense of professional identity in relation to knowledge, skills and ethics:

“Dawn participates with local and national professional organizations to ensure quality to all aspects of nursing practice. As a change leader, she knows how to always continue to learn, continually challenging herself. She is an excellent clinician, keeping her assessment skills sharp. She understands the complexities and challenges in the nursing community. Currently, she works with the Washington State Nurses Association and advocates for nurses working in clinical situations. She understands the gravity of her decisions and ethical implications of complex situations. She works across programs at the university, primarily with the College of Medicine. She brings the nurses unique skills, perspective, and values to help medical students understand the care of a complex patient outside the disease model of care. She understands and lives the unique art and science of being a nurse. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award.” — Wendy Williams-Gilbert (peer and 2021 Nurse’s Touch Award honoree)

Belinda Terrell Fuller, MSN, BSN, ADN, Gadsden State Community College (Alabama)

Prof. Fuller has 46 years of experience as a registered nurse. During that time, she has held multiple positions in acute care, including a coronary care unit and cardiac rehabilitation, general medical/surgical care, and as a Lamaze childbirth educator. In 1996, she shifted to working as an adjunct nurse educator at Gadsden State Community College, moving to a full-time nurse educator position in 2001. She has been involved in various local community and service activities including participating in international medical/missions trips to Honduras, Cuba, and Haiti.

What Prof. Fuller has to say:

Receiving the Nurse’s Touch Award is a great honor. I am humbled by my program director’s nomination. (Thank you, Dr. Mullinax, for this opportunity. Even more, thank you for being an encourager and supporting me as I have tried new approaches and active-learning techniques with our Level One students.) We utilize team teaching throughout our program. I am privileged to work within an exceptional team. Each individual educator brings different strengths and strategies to the table, yet we share a common goal: To prepare our students to become successful, safe, and effective nurses. I look forward to the ATI Summit. I hope to learn to use ATI tools more effectively in order to further engage the students within the classroom setting.

What peers have to say about Prof. Fuller’s level of excellence in "Professional communication," particularly regarding teaching therapeutic communication techniques:

“Belinda Fuller has been a nurse educator in our nursing education program since 1996. She has taught multiple areas of the curriculum and always does it with such ease and grace. Belinda has taught the communication concept, which includes therapeutic communication over many years in the Fundamentals of Nursing course. She incorporates multiple active-learning strategies in the classroom when she teaches and truly provides content delivery to all types of learners, i.e. visual, auditory, and tactile, and makes learning fun! Belinda is one of our hardest-working clinical instructors with Fundamental students. She is a role model to these students just getting started in the profession and does a lot of coaching with them re: communication in both the acute-care setting and long-term care.” — Cynthia Mullinax, peer

What peers have to say about Prof. Fuller’s level of excellence in "Wellness & self-care," particularly regarding understanding techniques for managing stress:

“Belinda has been a role model for wellness and self-care since I first met her in 2005 when I taught a fitness class for faculty and staff at our college. She attended every exercise session, twice per week, during those years. When that program went away, Belinda always spoke of going to the local YMCA after work to walk on the treadmill at least 3 afternoons per week. She has been involved in the American Heart Association Heart Walk event locally for many years and has always been an advocate of getting our nursing students involved in events such as these. She has taught the concept of Health Promotion to many Fundamentals of Nursing classes. This involves the head-to-toe examination that nurses perform on patients. She does a wonderful job of ensuring these new nursing students have a solid training of health assessment that they can carry with them throughout their careers.” — Cynthia Mullinax, peer

What peers have to say about Prof. Fuller’s level of excellence in "Nursing informatics & technology," particularly regarding using digital tools efficiently and improving client care:

“Every year that I have worked with Belinda as a nurse educator, since 2007, she has been the first to try any new technology we are expected to learn for the nursing program. I am now her program director and still see her jumping in head-first to learn new technologies. The most recent would be our implementation of the ATI Complete Package where she was front and center in learning all components. When the first information came out about the Next Generation NCLEX exams, Belinda was signing up for webinars/workshops to learn all she could about it. She attended a month-long program, one webinar per week for 4 weeks, on how to write a case study and, because of that, has become a wonderful resource person for our newest faculty members.” — Cynthia Mullinax, peer

What peers have to say about Prof. Fuller’s level of excellence in "Leadership & Management," particularly regarding helping develop students’ understanding of what being a leader means and increasing their confidence in developing this skill:

“Belinda has taught leadership and management at the PN level for many years. She taught this concept quite extensively in our previous stand-alone LPN program. She is about to be one of the main nurse educators in the same program that we are reviving in spring 2023. She will be instrumental in teaching the concept of coordinator/manager of care to the students in this program. Belinda has served many years in the nursing program as a course coordinator, which includes many leadership and management responsibilities. She is good at pulling her peers together to get the job done.” — Cynthia Mullinax, peer

What peers have to say about Prof. Fuller’s level of excellence in being a “Professional nurse,” particularly regarding inculcating a sense of professional identity in relation to knowledge, skills and ethics:

“Belinda is the picture that I have always had in my mind of a true professional nurse. She puts patients first and teaches students how to be their advocate. She maintains a professional appearance at all times, as well as a professional demeanor, especially with students. She also is always professional in interactions with her peers. Belinda has taught the concept of professionalism for many years in our nursing program. She teaches new nursing students about professional behavior, conflict resolution, legal and ethical issues, scope of practice, and clinical decision-making, as well as how to work with the interdisciplinary healthcare team.” — Cynthia Mullinax, peer

Paula Kustenbauder, DNP, RN, CCRN, CNE, Pennsylvania State (Altoona, Pa.)

Dr. Kustenbauder is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Penn State — Altoona Campus. She has been a nurse educator for 13 years and teaches medical-surgical concepts to third- and fourth-level BSN students. Dr. Kustenbauder has been a practicing Registered Nurse for 31 years. Most of that time has been spent as a staff nurse in the medical intensive care unit where she still works today. Her DNP quality improvement project focused on compassion-based communication skills and implemented a program for medical-surgical/oncology nurses.

What Dr. Kustenbauder has to say:

“Although I am honored to receive the Nurse’s Touch Award, I am very humbled by it. Being a nurse and a nurse educator are blessings to me. My compassion and fulfillment to do both are gifts from God and supported by the love of my colleagues, family, and friends. Receiving an award for doing what seems so natural and joy-producing is humbling, but I am appreciative of being recognized for making a difference in the lives of my students. I often make the statement that I do not see myself as a leader because I do not do the amazing things my nursing colleagues do. Receiving this award validates that, sometimes, it really is the little things that make a lasting and impactful difference. I look forward to attending ATI Summit because ATI has a tremendous array of innovative ideas and products to enhance learning for students and teaching strategies for nurse educators.”

What peers have to say about Dr. Kustenbauder’s level of excellence in "Professional communication," particularly regarding teaching therapeutic communication techniques:

“Dr. Kustenbauder excels in the area of professional communication. In fact, her DNP project was titled, ‘Implementation of a compassion-based communication skills program for medical-surgical/oncology nurses.’ In this study, Dr. Kustenbauder found a significant difference between compassion self-efficacy and compassion satisfaction before and immediately after the communication skills training and, again, four weeks after the intervention. Dr. Kustenbauder teaches Professional Role Development: Genetics, Ethics, and Legal Issues to third-year nursing students. In this course, she leads students through case studies that address end-of-life care, care of the underserved and underprivileged, social determinants of health, and healthcare disparities. She discusses possible ways to communicate with patients and their families of various cultures with the intent of making them feel heard and understood. Sometimes this may just be expressed by silence and active listening.” — Suzanne Kuhn, administrator

What peers have to say about Dr. Kustenbauder’s level of excellence in "Wellness & self-care," particularly regarding understanding techniques for managing stress:

“On the first day of class, Dr. Kustenbauder emphasizes the need for the students to have an outlet to maintain their physical and mental self. Before every exam, she guides students through five minutes of quietness and deep breathing. Before they open their eyes, she provides them with a positive statement of their ability to do well. As an academic success coach, Dr. Kustenbauder encourages all students who seek her help to practice positive self-talk and deep-breathing exercises, engage in physical activity, and make time with whatever/whoever it is that gives them peace. She provides resources for each of them. In the past, Dr. Kustenbauder taught Wellness and Self-care in the nurse residency program at the University of Pittsburg Medical Center, Altoona Campus. She provided the principles of self-care and suggestions to new nurses based on Hernandez’ (2009) “The heart of self-C.A.R.I.N.G. (Compassion, Awareness, Reflection, Intentionality, Nonjudgmental, and Gratitude).’ She extends the same principles to her nursing students.” — Suzanne Kuhn, administrator

What peers have to say about Dr. Kustenbauder’s level of excellence in "Nursing Informatics & Technology," particularly regarding using digital tools efficiently and improving client care:

“Dr. Kustenbauder teaches two didactic courses with clinical components. She incorporates an electronic health record (EHR) in the simulations and teaches students how to navigate through patients’ charts in the clinical setting. Her expertise comes from current use of EHRs in her work as a bedside critical care nurse. In her 31 years of nursing experience, technology has led to many changes in healthcare and education. She has served as a ‘Superuser’ for cardiac-monitoring devices, blood glucose monitoring systems, intravenous pumps, and IV intra-operability training. She uses various digital devices in the clinical setting such as TeleStroke, communication with neurologists via digital services, and interpreter services, including talk-to-speak systems for language barriers, both of which impact the care provided to patients as well as their outcomes. As a bedside clinical nurse in a level II trauma center, she is expected to be proficient in the use of any new technology introduced. Likewise, she teaches her students how to use the equipment safely and efficiently. With each new technological advancement, she explains the reasoning and advantages behind the changes. When teaching clinical, Dr. Kustenbauder needs to adapt to many EHR management systems because, in a given semester, she may be asked to chart in three different systems and teach her students to do the same.” — Suzanne Kuhn, administrator

What peers have to say about Dr. Kustenbauder’s level of excellence in "Leadership & management," particularly regarding helping develop students’ understanding of what being a leader means and increasing their confidence in developing this skill:

“Dr. Kustenbauder teaches her students in the Professional Role Development course that being a manager and being a leader are two separate roles. Being both, however, can have the biggest impact on those around them. She discusses the characteristics of a good, effective, and ethical leader. Through lecture, videos, scenarios, and discussion posts, Dr. Kustenbauder emphasizes the need to show confidence, verbally and nonverbally, and to develop relationships with and respect for others. She also shares experiences from her own life that enable her to be respected and valued by her coworkers. She emphasizes the importance of having inner confidence. Again, this is done through expression of life experiences and ethical-based case studies. She reviews terms such as beneficence, autonomy, fidelity, nonmaleficence, and veracity. She gives examples of each that relate to the roles of healthcare providers.” — Suzanne Kuhn, administrator

What peers have to say about Dr. Kustenbauder’s level of excellence in being a “Professional nurse,” particularly regarding inculcating a sense of professional identity in relation to knowledge, skills and ethics:

”Dr. Kustenbauder has been a nurse for more than 30 years. She began teaching 13 years ago. She is a Certified Critical Care Nurse and a Certified Nurse Educator. Twice she received the Guardian Angel award from the hospital where she continues to practice. This is recognition from a patient or family for outstanding compassion and care provided. She was also a finalist for the PA Nightingale Teaching Award (nominated by a former student). Students hear positive comments from those who work with her in the hospital. In the clinical setting, Dr. Kustenbauder exemplifies compassion and caring, not only for the patients and their families but for her coworkers. She teaches her students that being a professional includes knowledge, patience, honesty, trust, and love for those for who you provide care. She expresses the need to make a change if you lose any one of those qualities. As evidenced by student feedback, her students know that she is a genuine, kind, and compassionate person. She is respected by her colleagues and students.” — Suzanne Kuhn, administrator 

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About ATI Nursing Education

ATI helps create competent, practice-ready nurses who are dedicated to maintaining public safety and ensuring the future of healthcare. As the leading provider of online learning programs for nursing, we support and help educate future nurses from admissions, throughout undergraduate and graduate nursing school, and via continuing education over the course of their careers. Our company began in 1998 with the aid of a nurse, and our team of doctorate- and master’s-prepared nurse educators continue to lead the development of our psychometrically designed and data-driven solutions. These solutions improve faculty effectiveness, fuel student progress, and advance program outcomes in three distinct areas: assessing performance, remediating problem areas, and predicting future student and program success. For nursing school administrators and nurse educators, ATI is the trusted advisor that consistently drives nursing success.

To learn more about ATI, visit www.atitesting.com