Five faculty members join Idaho State University School of Nursing in Meridian and Pocatello

Idaho State University’s School of Nursing has hired five faculty members, including an associate director of undergraduate studies in Pocatello and a coordinator for the accelerated nursing program at ISU-Meridian.

Sandie Nadelson, Ph.D., the new undergraduate studies associate director, has lectured in the United States, China, Finland and the Czech Republic. A clinical associate professor, she holds a Master of Science degree in nursing from California State University and completed her doctorate in higher education at University of Nevada. Her research interests include community health, improving STEM—science, technology, engineering and math—education, and promoting nursing student success.

Susan S. Tavernier, Ph.D., heads the accelerated nursing program at the ISU-Meridian Health Science Center. Tavernier, who received her nursing doctorate from University of Utah, has conducted extensive research into quality of life and care issues for cancer patients. She has presented her research at numerous national conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.

Tavernier received the 2012 Oncology Nursing Society award for excellence in writing for quantitative research.
Other new hires are clinical assistant professor Cristy Bledsoe, Ph.D., clinical instructor Marshall Jewell, M.S.N., and clinical instructor and simulation lab coordinator Omotayo Omotowa, M.S.N. Bledsoe and Jewell are based at ISU-Meridian and Omotowa teaches in Pocatello.

Bledsoe has more than 35 years of nursing experience in acute care and skilled nursing facilities. Her background includes development of bedside nurse researchers and implementation of evidence-based practice into nursing care.

A former chair of the Idaho Nurses Association Education Committee, she graduated from Idaho State University and completed her nursing doctorate at University of Utah.

Jewell has more than 10 years of nursing experience, including emergency, wound and intensive care. He holds a Master of Science degree in nursing from Grand Canyon University and is working on his nursing doctorate. He is a member of the American Assembly of Men in Nursing.

Omotowa’s areas of interest include teaching, simulation, public health and geriatric nursing. She has five years of staff nurse experience on medical surgical units at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls and has taught government at the Bishop Smith Memorial College in Nigeria.

A member of the Idaho Nurses Association, she holds a master’s degree in public administration from Obafermi Qwolowo University in Nigeria and a master’s degree in nursing education from Walden University.

Read more about the new faculty at http://www.isu.edu/nursing/facstaff.shtml .

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