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Staff Writer Pamela Gouner, assistant professor at the University of Arkansas at Monticello Division of Nursing, sees herself as a generalized nurse. Charged with the task of creating a hybrid online version of the UAM nursing program in collaboration with other members of faculty and staff, she also teaches in the BSN and RN-BSN programs Gouner, born in Thibodaux, La., attended nursing school at Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans. After graduating, she worked in the emergency room for some time until she began to grow tired of admitting patients who should have been able to take care of a lot of their problems themselves. After remaining in the field for more than 15 years, she decided to focus on that particular area of nursing and returned to school at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La., where she earned a master’s in Wellness and Health Promotion (M.Ed., R.N.) and another MSN through the University of Phoenix on-line. “I went back as a non-traditional student raising a young daughter, and it took me over six years to achieve the degrees, which enabled me to teach in the BSN and RN-BSN programs,” she said. Prior to her teaching career, Gouner and her husband Warren experienced the “odyssey of their lives.” Warren joined the U.S. Air Force and together they traveled from Kentucky to Wyoming then to Germany and back to Alexandria, La. – she as a registered nurse and he as a nurse anesthetist. During this time she also worked in surgery, the school of nursing, managed a family practice clinic and later worked in pediatrics. Gouner remains very active in her role as sponsor of the Student Nursing Association. Recently members of the SNA took it upon themselves to organize a fundraiser and they raised over $1,000 for the “Kids First” program in Warren, Ark. The organization plans to send an additional $500 to a clinic in Africa in order to medically support children with aids. “In my role as sponsor I look forward to motivating the students. I go to clinical and teach in the clinical setting,” Gouner said. For the past two years, UAM nursing students have achieved a 100 percent pass rate. This year, a total of 78 students have enrolled in the program. “Nursing school takes a lot of hard work but I find it very rewarding,” said Aimee Thornton, junior UAM nursing student. “Students need to be prepared to do a lot of reading and apply it to the critical thinking process.” Gouner previously taught at UAM from
2000 – 2001 as instructor and returned in 2005 as assistant professor.
In speaking of the faculty and staff at UAM, Gouner comments what a
great Division exists – “It is vibrant, alive and we set high
standards. We look forward to our on-site review Sept. 21 by the
National League of Nursing.”
Have a comment? Please e-mail us. ŠThe Voice 2006 Revised 09/13/2006 11:05:03 PM— http://www.uamont.edu/Organizations/TheVoice/4_2/pgouner.htm |
