Name: Sharla Cooper
Current place of employment: Radford University

Current role (clinical, administrative, dean, adjunct, etc.): Full-time Associate Professor
Highest level of education: Doctoral degree from Case Western Reserve University.

Number of years you have been an RN: 18
Number of years as a Nurse Educator: 11

Why did you choose to teach nursing (variety of work, flexible work schedule, encourage and educate eager minds, etc.)?
I came to teaching by an unusual route. I have always loved teaching in the clinical setting. When I was a staff nurse I loved teaching parents and when the nursing students came in looking very scared I would take them under my wing and show them around and then let them work with me as much as possible. I very much remembered being a nursing student and how much I appreciated nurses who were kind and helpful and how much I learned from them. I always vowed that I would never be impatient with a student or take out frustrations on them. I remembered feeling unwelcome on some nursing units and how that interfered with my learning. I became a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and continued to teach staff nurses and parents. I was contacted by Radford University (where I earned by BSN) about taking a student for an Independent Study in the Neonatal Intensive Care unit (NICU). I had a wonderful experience with this student but still never really saw myself teaching full-time, I loved practicing too much. Then, I had a high risk pregnancy and was on bed rest for 5 months and delivered 5 weeks prematurely. The hospital had to hire an NNP in my absence and I was left with a new baby and no job. It just so happened that Radford needed an OB faculty member. It was scary but I took a leap of faith and applied. I have blended my love for families, teaching, practice and my determination to make positive, meaningful experiences for students. Teaching is all of these things and more. I am so fortunate that I get to teach OB, have students in the clinical setting and I still maintain an active faculty practice in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I love that when I am teaching in the classroom, I can use actual clinical situations to further explain a concept, illustrate a point or spark discussion. I love helping the students to think about things in more than one way and from all points of view. When I was a student I thought teaching was just for researchers, extroverts and "academics". I don't love public speaking and I tend to be introverted. How wrong I was. I love this field of nursing so much that I can't keep from being excited about it and sharing that knowledge and love with students. During my second pregnancy, I was hospitalized again on bed rest. I remember a nurse who moved my bedside tray away and never moved it back so I couldn't reach my water or the phone. I remember a nurse who was short with me when I asked questions. But I also remember a Nurse who had been one of my students at Radford, she was the one who anticipated all of my needs and questions. She was the one who went out of her way to find my something to eat that didn't upset my stomach. I remember how relieved I was whenever she was my nurse. I can't begin to take credit for the wonderful nurse that she became, but I do know the power of mentoring and positive teaching and I hope that had something to do with making her a better nurse. I strive to help all of the nursing students achieve great things for themselves but more importantly for the patients they care for.

In your opinion, what are some factors that retain you as a Nurse Educator?
A department Chair that values and appreciates the unique qualifications of each instructor trusts me to do my job with minimal oversight. I feel valued by the students and the patients we care for. My proudest achievement is being a mom, second is being a nurse. My kids are very proud of my nursing and I think this career path makes me a better mother, wife and nurse.

What is your opinion of using the Internet as a teaching tool? (For example, one instructor teaching hundreds of students non clinical classes (A&P, Psychology etc.) in a virtual classroom?)
I have never taught this way or taken a class this way, but if it works for students then great.

What is the main reason you see nursing students dropping out of programs?
The academic rigors of the programs are too much for some students. You have to really want it and have excellent study habits. If they're in nursing school for the wrong reasons or they're pulled in too many other directions, it will show in their work. They can't fake it, it has to be from their heart.