Clark, PhD, RN, University of Louisville School of Nursing assistant professor, has received the Novice Faculty Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award from the , which recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of nursing by novice faculty at association member schools.

“Dr. Clark is encouraging, thought-provoking and I think every student absolutely loved him. He has this infectious personality that makes students enthusiastic about what they’re doing,” said Savannah Kelley, an alumna of the  who works as a registered nurse at ’s trauma intensive care unit. Kelley nominated Clark for the award.

Clark teaches pharmacology and fundamentals of professional nursing practice and facilitates student clinicals, settings that are among the first where nursing students apply classroom knowledge to real-world patient care under instructor supervision.

Kelley said that Clark’s ability to inspire students to critically think when assessing patients has served her career well.

During a clinical at a rehabilitation facility where students learned basic nursing skills, including assessments and taking vital signs, Clark encouraged students to develop their own nursing judgment.

“This was the first time we were doing assessments on anybody. It was nerve-wracking,” Kelley said. “After spending the day with patients, we would come together to discuss our experiences. Dr. Clark provided constructive feedback and encouragement always. He made it a safe place to learn.”

Clark, whose background is in emergency nursing, said he enjoys challenging students as well as himself in the lab and classroom. His greatest joy in teaching occurs when a student presents an answer that exceeds his expectations.

“My students will be caring for patients in a challenging health care delivery system. They need the best of what we nursing faculty have to offer,” Clark said. “I want to convey the science of nursing as well as the art of nursing: How to listen effectively, communicate clearly, develop a therapeutic relationship with a patient, sharpen intuitive senses and address one’s own biases. By doing so, students will be better prepared to offer patient-centered care in this challenging health care environment.”

U.S. nursing schools turned away about 64,000 qualified applicants in 2016, mostly because of an insufficient number of faculty. However, in response to the demand for more nurses in the workforce, the  has increased its enrollment by 66 percent in the past five years through a creative solution to the faculty shortage.

From fall 2013 to fall 2017, applicants admitted to the UofL Bachelor of Science in Nursing program have increased from 60 to 100 students per semester, eliminating the need to turn away qualified candidates.

Driving student capacity issues at nursing schools is faculty retiring at a rapid rate. The average ages of doctorally-prepared nursing faculty holding the ranks of professor, associate professor and assistant professor were 62.2, 57.6, and 51.1 years respectively, according to the .

As more faculty retire and enrollment increases, the UofL School of Nursing has relied more on nurses employed full-time at health care agencies to work as part-time lecturers of clinical courses. Also, the school has reconfigured classrooms to expand clinical simulation lab space.

“The school works very hard to meet the workforce and student demands in the face of faculty shortages,” said Ruth Staten, PhD, APRN-CS-NP, associate dean for academic programs and associate professor at the UofL School of Nursing. “Amazing nurses from the practice community help us provide an excellent education to our students.”

In the past decade, UofL also has expanded its degree options for preparing new nurses. These include the Master’s Entry into Professional Nursing program, designed for people who want to transition to a career in nursing and already have a bachelor’s degree in a different field, and the only traditional nursing baccalaureate program based in Owensboro.

“In a given year, we are admitting 270 pre-licensure nursing students into our programs,” Staten said.