Alison Atwater, DNP, RN, CNE

• D.N.P., East Carolina University
• M.S.N, Walden University
• Nursing & Healthcare Education Graduate Certification, University of Phoenix
• B.S.N., Gannon University 

Dr. Atwater specializes in Foundations of Professional Nursing and NCLEX preparation in the nursing curriculum. With 20 years of nursing experience, Dr. Atwater has experience with patient populations in pediatrics and surgical services, and clinical education of nurses and allied health professionals. Dr. Atwater transitioned from clinical education to academic education in 2015.  Dr. Atwater’s focus is on improving the nursing student's clinical reasoning ability to help educate safe, responsible, and effective professional nurses. Consistently using simulation technology to engage her students, Dr. Atwater has earned several education credits to develop this type of educational experience and intends to bring patient care experiences to the classroom for a realistic learning environment. Dr. Atwater’s research interests include using modern technology, combined with theory-driven educational methods to enhance student learning. Dr. Atwater is actively piloting a debriefing tool she created, the Atwater Clinical Reasoning Map for Students, with the goal of continuing research on the effectiveness of this student tool when used in simulation and clinical education.