A Letter from Dr. Walker
Dear Student or Prospective Nursing Student,
Thank you for visiting our website and for your interest in the DeWitt School of Nursing at Stephen F. Austin State University. If you are looking at this website, I assume that you have an interest in the health care field. I want to take a few minutes to talk with you about nursing, myself, the faculty, and the facilities at the DeWitt School of Nursing and to share information about "the best kept secret in Texas."
I have been in the nursing field for approximately 40 years, and they have been the most rewarding years of my life. Nursing has provided me with the opportunity for financial security, but, more importantly, the profession has provided me with food for my soul. I have been blessed by all my patients who have allowed me into their lives and shared their wisdom, pain, and fears. It is from these individuals that I have learned much about integrity and courage.
As nurses, we are blessed to see life come into this world and are also humbled when a patient leaves this world with dignity, compassion, and caring. Florence Nightingale walked the halls during the Crimean War with the light of a candle, holding the hands, and comforting the dying. Today's nurses are just as dedicated to their patients as she. As long as there are nurses, no one need die alone. But nursing is more than just an art; it is also a science. Throughout nursing education and a nursing career, we are challenged to use the science of nursing to improve patient care outcomes.
Now, I want to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself and the DeWitt School of Nursing. I have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Troy State University, A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and a Doctorate of Science in Nursing (DSN). I have been a nursing administrator at public, private and health science center schools of nursing. Prior to coming to SFA, I was the associate dean of clinical and community affairs at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. I have more than 30 publications and have just completed a book titled "See Spot Run: Lessons for Life". The book focuses on psychological and spiritual principles for living, but uses my family of Dalmatians to illustrate the lessons.
I came to SFA and East Texas because the country so reminded me of my home in the rural hills of Alabama. However, what I found at SFA was the most amazing nursing faculty members with whom I have ever had the privilege to work. I have never seen a faculty that gives of its knowledge, expertise, and caring with such generous hearts to students while holding such high expectations. We all understand every graduate who walks across our stage will be caring for us or someone we love. Therefore, we give 110 percent effort to make sure the students have all the skills needed to be the best nurses in Texas.
In addition to a fantastic faculty that places students at the core of everything it does, the DeWitt School of Nursing has a new 41,000 square feet state-of-the-art facility. The facility has three wings which include the administration area, the educational area and the Ed and Gwen Cole Simulation Laboratory. There are four classrooms, which seat 100 students each. One classroom has computers built into the desks. The simulation laboratory is 9,000 square feet with a 10-bed medical surgical area, a labor and delivery area, a nursery and neonatal area, a health assessment lab, and an emergency room area. The Ed and Gwen Cole Simulation Laboratory has seven high-fidelity mannequins, which can simulate any patient condition, and are operated by faculty from a remote area. One of the simulators is a female mannequin that actually gives birth. The Ed and Gwen Cole Simulation Laboratory is a Laerdal Center of Excellence, one of only three centers in the state of Texas.
Please take a few minutes and join me on a virtual reality tour by going to this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y78NQHrof7I
The Richard and Lucille DeWitt School of Nursing places students at the core of everything we do. We are dedicated to seeing every student walk across the stage at graduation. I hope to see you during a tour or as an incoming student at SFA. If you have questions, please e-mail nursing@sfasu.edu.