Her Story
About Coleen
I became a nurse a very long time ago, and I really loved critical care and that whole very fast-paced kind of nursing. But one thing I knew from when I was a student nurse was that I always sat in that classroom watching the person who was my faculty member, my instructor, and I wanted to be her, because I thought, how much more influence would I have? Because every single one of those people in the room takes care of patients. So instead of me one-on-one influencing a patient's life, I'm influencing exponentially patients' lives as an educator. That realization has driven my career in nursing education for over 20 years. As Dean of the School of Nursing and Medical Imaging for 8 years, I was responsible for curriculum, accreditation status, student education, outcomes like pass rates on licensing exams, and the school's budget. Among my proudest achievements, I secured full accreditation for 7 years in 2019 with less than a year to prepare, which was critical because nursing and medical imaging schools can't run unless they're accredited. I also led the transformation from a traditional curriculum to a concept-based curriculum starting in 2022, running two curriculums simultaneously to grandfather existing students in. I earned my PhD in Healthcare Leadership from Seton Hall University in 2015, the same year I became a certified nurse educator through the National League for Nursing, a very hard exam that I'm now up for my second recertification on. My master's degree in nursing came from the College of Staten Island in 2002. By trade, I'm a critical care nurse, and I was a certified critical care nurse (CCRN) from the 1980s, a grueling certification that anyone with those initials after their name needs to be applauded for.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Coleen
01What do you attribute your success to?
I know that hard work and determination are very, very important. You have to stay goal-oriented and stay the course. You can't lose it, you know, and take a break, and when you want to do something, you have to put your mind to it, and that's it. But the second part, which is probably equally as important, is support. I had a tremendous village that supported me through all my endeavors. The master's degree, I had young children at the time, the PhD, which was a tremendous amount of work. All of those things, I'm very lucky to have had that support system.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I've received two pieces of advice that really stand out. Somebody told me recently, when there was a little bit of a conflict going on, this person knows a lot but don't diminish what you know. She doesn't know what you know. So we should never diminish ourselves, we need to celebrate ourselves a little bit. Another piece of advice came from my Dr. Bailey, who I worked with. She used to pat my hand and say, 'Stay in your lane.' At first, I didn't understand what that meant, because you want to do everything. But staying in your lane, you know, it keeps you focused. That's not your issue. What are you doing over there? So staying in your lane is really good advice.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't listen to the noise. Stay the course. Remember what your goal is, and keep your eye on that ball.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Oh my god, nursing is like, the sky's the limit right now in nursing. You can do pretty much anything. You can be, if you wanted, you can be a CEO, even. You know, it's that far-reaching. You just have to dream it, and it can happen, and of course, work hard.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say honesty is most important to me, and keeping your word. Practicing ethically in whatever you do, whether you're teaching, whether you're taking care of patients, you need to be ethical in what you do. I think it's very important to me, and I know it's very important to me that all people are people first. They're human beings first. We don't judge them based on any color, disease, anything like that. We treat them all the same.
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