There is nothing like hands-on experience, especially when it comes to preparing for a career in nursing. Associate Professor of Nursing, Tina Marie Kline, couldn’t agree more. She's an innovator in the classroom and the lab. Always looking for inventive and interactive activities to engage and educate her students, she takes pride in preparing the next generation of nursing professionals.
The most rewarding thing for me as a nurse educator is when I am out in public as a “civilian” and have the opportunity to interact with former students who are now practicing RNs. This past summer, my daughter had two different surgical procedures, and each time she had nurses on her care team who were former students. I can see how much they have grown in the RN role, and I feel confident in their knowledge and skills as they take care of someone very important to me.
Knowing that I make a difference in people’s lives keeps me going. Nurses have a different relationship with patients than other healthcare workers. In the hospital setting, we are the ones there with the patient 24/7, helping them through some of the biggest challenges of their lives. Nursing is truly an art and a science.
My background is medical-surgical nursing. I have worked various specialties including respiratory/pulmonary, bariatric, gastrointestinal/infectious disease, and urology units. Through my work experience, I earned the designation of Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN).
While there are other nursing programs out there, what makes Penn College unique is the commitment to hands-on learning. Our curriculum includes clinical experiences in a variety of settings including nursing homes, hospitals, schools, and clinics, to name a few. We also augment those experiences with simulations that allow students to learn skills and develop clinical judgment in a safe environment. We have several high-fidelity manikins that talk, breathe, cry, and sweat and have real-life heartbeats, pulses, and lung sounds.
For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a nurse. I was constantly playing with my Fisher Price doctor’s kit, taking temperatures, applying band aids and giving pretend shots to my favorite patient – the cat. I even had a lined notebook with saw-like markings – perhaps my first attempt at understanding EKGs and cardiac rhythmn.
Come check us out! There’s a lot you can learn about a college from the website. But it doesn’t replace an actual visit. Sit in on a class or lab. Talk to faculty and current students. Get a feel for what Penn College really is.
"Nursing is a tough profession. It's very rewarding, but also very demanding. Consider the type of nurse you want caring for your loved ones, and chose a college that challenges you to become that nurse."
Tina Marie Kline
"I teach in the classroom and the clinical setting. Clinical is always exciting, as students make connections between a patient’s medical diagnosis, physical assessment findings, lab and diagnostic results, and the treatment plan, which includes medications and other nonmedication therapies."
"The traditional classroom environment can be boring for students. I like to keep it active with case studies, pair and small-group exercises, and practicing NCLEX (the national licensure exam) questions. One of my favorite application activities is sensory immersion where students use ear plugs and special glasses made to represent different vision problems and then have to verbally interact with a partner. It gives them a small taste of what it is like for a client with these deficits. I also recently incorporated an escape room based on a similar activity developed by faculty members at another institution."
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