“I did not see myself as a leader, to be honest. I had my mind made up on doing something else, but it has been an amazing journey,” says Dr. Tiffany Morris, director of Nursing at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.  That journey includes being the inaugural department chair in the nursing program at Elon University School of Health Sciences and serving as an interim dean in North Carolina A&T’s School of Nursing. She returned to North Carolina A&T earlier this year partly because of the larger impact she can have due to the school being the largest Historically Black College and University in the nation. “The opportunity to serve students who are normally underrepresented and be able to produce healthcare providers that look like the people that they're serving is an amazing opportunity,” she tells host Michael Carrese. Highlights of the curriculum include an accelerated nursing program which allows those with bachelor’s degrees to earn an RN in twelve months, advanced simulation training -- including access to new 3D technology that allows for virtual dissection -- and an emphasis on providing culturally appropriate care, which Morris stresses goes well beyond race to include culturally-based food preferences and spiritual practices and beliefs.  Morris has a research interest in the latter where she focuses on why African-Americans have a lower rate of hospice enrollment. Find out about one key factor in turning that around, why the university is pursuing R1 research status and new degree offerings coming soon.

Mentioned in this episode: North Carolina A&T School of Nursing