Dr. Sandy Nielsen PhD, RN-BC
Assistant Professor
Office
EDW Edwards Hall 219
Office Hours
By appointment, varies each semester.
Office Phone
Email
- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Selected Research
Biography
My nursing career began in 1989. I worked for critical access, small and medium-sized hospitals and clinics in Illinois. I have enjoyed a number of clinical experiences, Medical -Surgical, Telemetry, ICU, Community and Population Health.
Current Courses
NUR 339.003 Pathophysiology & Pharmacotherapeutics Nursing II:Prelicensure
NUR 526.001 Residency In Research
NUR 390.001 Student Success Senior Seminar
Teaching Interests & Areas
Open Lab, Leadership clinical, Health Assessment Lab, Adult 1 Clinical, Adult 2 clinical, Adult 2 Course
Research Interests & Areas
Community Health, Immunizations, Meeting Healthy People 2020 goals, achieving affective learning goals through clinical experiences
PhD
Illinois State University
Normal, IL
MS Nursing Education
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, AZ
BS Nursing
Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville, IL
AA Nursing
Parkland College
Champaign, IL
Mennonite College of Nursing Outstanding College Service Award
Mennonite College of Nursing
2025
Best Research Abstract Award
Sigma Xi Pi Chapter
2025
Nurse Educator Fellow
Illinois Board of Higher Education
2021
University Research Grant Program: Mennonite College of Nursing Research Assistance Grant
Mennonite College of Nursing
2021
RISE to the COVID Challenge Award
2020
Carle Professional Nurse Excellence Award
2015
Guest Speaker 2016 Annual Carle Evidence Based Practice Conference
2015
Carle Level 4 RN
2015
Journal Article
Addressing the nurse educator shortage: Transitioning bedside nurses to clinical faculty by demystifying roles and responsibilities
John Blakeman, Karen Baur, Sandy Nielsen, Janet LoVerde, Carrie Carls, Robin Cross.
Journal of Professional Nursing, (2025)
Improving equity and inclusion: One nursing school's journey to update the dress code
Sandy Nielsen, Kirsten Clerkin, Jessica Sullivan, Elizabeth Kosuth, Shayla Dennis, Laura Killingsworth, Kileigh Guido.
Nurse Education Today, 152, (2025), 10.1016/j.nedt.2025.106764
Examination of Nursing Staffs' Perceptions of the COVI-19 Vaccine Using the Health Belief Model
Aidan Cossio, Wilson Cobb, Addison Fugit, Sandra Nielsen, Matthew Hesson-McInnis, Marilyn Prasun.
Western Journal of Nursing Research, 46 (3), 229-235, (2024), 10.1177/01939459241230383
Examination of Nursing Staffs’ Perceptions of the COVID-19 Vaccine Using the Health Belief Model.
Aidan Cossio, Cobb Wilson, Fugitt Addison, Sandy Nielsen, Matthew Hesson-McInnis, Marilyn Nielsen.
46 (3), 229-235, (2024), DOI: 10.1177/01939459241230383
Lessons learned: Using a Three-Step Model of Planned Change for nursing curricular revision
Theresa Adelman-Mullally, Sandy Nielsen, Carolina Posada Ford, Kim Astroth, Seon Yoon Chung.
Journal of Professional Nursing, 53, 140-146, (2024), 10.1016/j.profnurs.2024.05.009
Three-step model of planned change for nursing curricular revision.
Theresa Adelman- Mullally, Sandy Nielsen, Carolina Ford, Kim M. Astroth, Seon Yoon Chung.
Journal of Professional Nursing, 53, 6, (2024)
Planned change in modern hierarchical organizations: A three step model
Theresa Adelman- Mullally, Sandy Nielsen, Seon Yoon Chung.
Journal of Professional Nursing, 46, 1-6, (2023), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.02.002
Planned change in modern hierarchical organizations: A three-step model
Theresa Adelman-Mullally, Sandy Nielsen, Seon Yoon Chung.
Journal of Professional Nursing, 46, 1-6, (2023), 10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.02.002
Collaborative student faculty research to support PhD research education
Mary J. Dyck, Nancy Novotny, John Blakeman, Crystal Bricker, Ashley Farrow, Janet Loverde, Sandy Nielsen, Brenda Johnson.
Journal of Professional Nursing, 36 (3), 196-210, (2020), doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2019.11.002
Collaborative student-faculty research to support PhD research education
Mary J. Dyck, Nancy Novotny, John Blakeman, Crystal Bricker, Ashley Farrow, Janet LoVerde, Sandy Nielsen, Brenda Johnson.
Journal of Professional Nursing, 36 (3), 106-110, (2020), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2019.11.002
Ambulatory Evidence Based Practice: Electronic Notifications as a Trigger for Immunizations
Sandy Nielsen.
Carle Selected Papers, 59 (2), 22-28, (2016)
Implementing a new capstone leadership clinical: One Midwestern nursing program experience
Nancy Novotny, Melissa Jarvill, Sandy Nielsen, Kathleen Morris.
Nurse Educator
Presentations
Hands-On Manipulative Teaching Tool Demonstrating Fluid Imbalances Improves Exam Scores
Janet LoVerde, Sandy Nielsen.
2026 National Nurse Educator Summit, Tucson, AZ, April, 2026
Leveraging the academic-practice partnership to reduce the nurse educator shortage
Sandy Nielsen, Robin Cross, John Blakeman, Karen Baur, Janet LoVerde, Carrie Carls.
28th Annual Springfield Memorial Hospital Nursing Research Conference, Springfield, IL, April, 2025
Pilot on exam wrappers, metacognition, and retention: Initial study to improve education access and quality
Patricia L Pence, Sandra Nielsen, Megan Rappleyea.
State of the Science Congress on Nursing Research, Social & Structural Determinants of Health, Washington, DC, September, 2022
The NCSBN Clinical judgment Model Presented for MCN Faculty
Megan Rappleyea, Sandy Nielsen.
Monthly Course Leader Meeting MCN, Normal, July, 2020
Implementing a new capstone leadership clinical; One Midwestern nursing program experience.
Nancy Novotny, Melissa Jarvill, Sandy Nielsen.
Mennonite College of Nursing Research Symposium, Normal, IL, March, 2020
Finding Balance: Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Trading Final Semester Undergraduate Acute-Care Hours for Leadership Clinical Activities
Nancy L Novotny, Sandra Nielsen.
Sigma 2019 Congress: Theory to Practice Catalyzing Collaborations to Connect Globally, Calgary, Canada, July 29, 2019
Finding Balance: Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Trading Final Semester Undergraduate Acute-Care Hours for Leadership Clinical Activities
Sandra Nielsen, Nancy Novotny.
Mennonite College of Nursing Research Symposium, NORMAL, March 21, 2019
Research as pedagogy: Collaborative faculty-student research
Mary J. Dyck, Nancy Novotny, John Blakeman, Crystal Bricker, Ashley Farrow, Janet LoVerde, Sandy Nielsen, Brenda Johnson.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing Doctoral Education Conference, San Diego, CA, January, 2019
Research as pedagogy: Collaborative faculty-student research
Mary J. Dyck, Nancy Novotny, John Blakeman, Crystal Bricker, Ashley Farrow, Janet LoVerde, Sandy Nielsen, Brenda Johnson.
Doctoral Education Conference, Coronado, CA, January, 2019
Research as Pedagogy: Collaborative Faculty-Student Research
Mary J Dyck, Nancy L Novotny, John Blakeman, Crystal Bricker, Ashley Farrow, Janet Loverde, Sandra Nielsen, Brenda Johnson.
AACN Doctoral Conference, Coronado, CA, January 17, 2019
Ambulatory Evidence Based Practice: Electronic Notifications as a Trigger for Immunizations
Sandy Nielsen.
2015 Carle Evidence Based Practice Nursing Conference, Urbana, IL, December 1, 2015