Gator Nursing Celebrates 10 Years of DNP Graduates
Learn how the program got its start and hear from three extraordinary DNP graduates.
Laura Sealy as a pediatric cancer patient in 1995. Now, Sealy is providing expert care and compassion to children and their families at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers.
One night in 1995, Jody and Marcus Sealy prayed as they took their 4-year-old daughter, Laura, to Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville. They prayed what Laura had been experiencing lately could be diagnosed as some normal, easily treatable childhood illness. But that fateful night, their world turned completely upside down. Laura was diagnosed with acute lymphoid leukemia and would spend the following two-and-a-half years receiving treatment, staying in hospitals and visiting clinics.
What would normally be considered a devastating experience has a silver lining in this story. Laura recovered, and it was through her treatment process that she knew in her heart that she wanted to be a nurse and help children like her.
“I can remember so many things from that time period, things I was expected to forget since I was only 4, but I don’t want to forget,” Sealy said. “Above all the clinical events, I remember the people who took care of me. The doctors, nurses and child life specialist all inspired me to want to pursue a career in pediatric oncology.”
When it came time to apply for colleges, her heart was set on the University of Florida. Sealy completed the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, or BSN, program in 2013 and continued at the College of Nursing through the Doctor of Nursing Practice, or DNP, program.
Allen S. Kramer/Texas Children’s Hospital
Through the years, countless stories of inspiration, perseverance and leadership such as Sealy’s have emerged from Gator Nursing students. That tradition to care, lead and inspire does not end with graduation, as evidenced by the 461 DNP alumni who continue to bring advancements in care to patients, families and communities.
This year, the College of Nursing is celebrating 10 years of graduates from the DNP program. In 2007, the college welcomed the first class of nurses looking to advance their careers and better serve patients through the use of evidence-based practice. And in 2009, that first class of pioneers graduated and entered the practice field equipped with the skills and education needed to tackle complex health care issues.
Sealy’s incredible story of inspiration did not end when she decided to be a nurse. During the DNP program, she worked as a nurse on the hematology/oncology unit at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, where she was treated as a child. She even had the opportunity to work with some of the nurses who cared for her all those years ago.
“I used to say I wanted to be a nurse as a way to ‘pay it back’ because I felt like I owed it them. As I got older, I realized that the goal of health care providers is not to convince people to be like you but to help them heal so that they can reach their full potential of being whoever they are meant to be. Still, I chose pediatric oncology nursing.”
Following graduation from the DNP program in 2016, Sealy was selected for a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse practitioner fellowship program at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston and has been a nurse practitioner on the leukemia team there for three years.
Laura Sealy (DNP 2016, BSN 2013) with one of her pediatric patients, 5-year-old Grey Gallier, at Texas Children's Hospital.
Allen S. Kramer/Texas Children’s Hospital
Celebrating the DNP Pioneers
The concept of a clinical doctorate degree has been gaining in popularity over the last 10 years. The UF College of Nursing was the first nursing school in Florida to offer a nurse practitioner program through the Master of Science in Nursing degree and among the first to offer the DNP for those seeking a non-research-focused doctoral degree, In 2004, the American Association of College of Nursing, or AACN, recommended that advanced nursing practice education be moved to the doctoral level. Almost immediately, the UF nursing faculty discussed this recommendation and voted to move forward with the development of a DNP program.
Dean Emeritus Kathleen Ann Long, PhD, RN, FAAN, was not only the dean of the college but also the president of AACN at that time. She recalled the innovation and leadership that the College of Nursing embraced in order to implement this new program.
“The UF nursing faculty has a long-standing tradition of innovation and creativity, one that began with founding dean, Dorothy Smith,” Long said. “It is not surprising that the faculty moved quickly, but thoughtfully, to develop a DNP program.”
The initial DNP class was much like the faculty, in that they were committed clinicians who understood the growing complexity and importance of advanced nursing practice, Long said.
Karen Theoktisto, a triple Gator Nurse, is one of those risk-taking pioneers in the first DNP class. She knew she wanted to be a nurse, even as a young girl reading the Cherry Ames book series, which chronicled a young nurse as she solved various mysteries. Theoktisto grew up in New England, volunteering as a candy striper in her teens before attending a hospital diploma school in New Hampshire.
After moving to Gainesville in 1980, Theoktisto earned a combined BSN/MSN from UF in 2000 and worked in a private office for about 10 years. It was around that time she learned the College of Nursing was implementing a DNP program. Already a double Gator Nurse, she knew this was something she needed to consider.
Karen Theoktisto (DNP 2009, MSN 2000, BSN 2000) performs a well-baby exam on 4-month-old Melayah Smith, a pediatric patient at UF Health Family Medicine – Eastside. Theoktisto is a member of the first DNP class at UF.
“I felt in order to be on the same playing field with other disciplines, we nurses really needed to have a doctorate,” she said. “The DNP gives us more credibility and more knowledge of the whole picture. You have a better understanding of the different disciplines you work with, and you can collaborate and interact with physicians and other providers.”
Toward the end of the program, Theoktisto learned of a position for a family practice physician at the UF Health Family Medicine – Eastside practice. She approached the medical director about being considered for the job, despite not being a physician.
The medical director asked her to write a proposal outlining why the position should be for a nurse practitioner instead of a physician. After submitting her plan, she was offered the position and has served as a pediatric nurse practitioner at the practice for the last 10 years.
“I really think having the knowledge and skills that came with my DNP earned me the position,” she said.
Leading by Example
Theoktisto remains in close contact with Clinical Associate Professor Rose Nealis, PhD, APRN, who has been a nursing faculty member for decades. In 2018, Nealis nominated Theoktisto for the college’s Preceptor of the Year Award, which she received at the college’s Donor Recognition Event.
Rose Nealis
“Rose Nealis is an incredible person,” Theoktisto said. “She has devoted her entire life to being a nurse. She pushes her students to go above and beyond. She wants all of her students to succeed and achieve more than even she has in her career, which is the mark of a true educator.”
Hector Torres is a member of one of the most-recent graduating class, earning his DNP in May. He said he found inspiration and encouragement through his faculty chair Clinical Associate Professor Laurie Duckworth, PhD, APRN.
“I worked through my DNP, and it was very challenging balancing work, studying, papers, group projects and my DNP project,” Torres said. “I got a lot of support from Dr. Duckworth. She helped me turn a rough idea into a feasible project and guided me every step of the way.”
Torres earned a bachelor’s in political science before attending the Accelerated BSN program and then the DNP program. He worked at UF Health in trauma and vascular surgery intensive care throughout the DNP program, and it was there that he developed the basis of his DNP project, which involved using hospital data to show that patients with benign prostate hyperplasia are at an increased risk for catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
“Dr. Duckworth helped me take an initial problem I encountered as a nurse and turn it into a DNP project,” Torres said. “She showed me it was important to establish that the problem exists before proposing a solution, and she was always there to remind me why my project was important for patients and not just a graduation requirement.”
Hector Torres (DNP 2019, BSN 2013) with his DNP faculty chair Clinical Associate Professor Laurie Duckworth, PhD, APRN, at his DNP graduation ceremony in May.
UF Photography
Addressing the Needs of Health Care
As the reality of doctorally prepared advanced practice nurses continues to expand, and the health care landscape increases in complexity, the College of Nursing evolves to stay on the forefront of progress. In 2015, the DNP program was restructured, consolidating the curriculum and tailoring it to be more manageable for the working professional.
An online program with limited campus visits, the DNP is offered through the BSN-to-DNP track or the MSN-to-DNP track. The BSN-to-DNP track offers five clinical concentration specialties, including adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, pediatric acute care nurse practitioner, pediatric primary care nurse practitioner and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner.
“The program has done a good job of embracing the distance-learning model,” Torres said. “It is important for nurses to know that they can go back to school and further their careers without giving up their jobs and families. A DNP is not easy, but it is not impossible either. I think anyone with discipline and determination can do it, but it is much easier with family and faculty support like I had.”
Now, the administration and faculty have started the process of revising and developing new systems for various aspects of the DNP program, such as refining the project and residence requirements.
“We are dedicated to the concept of continuous quality improvement in all of our missions,” said Anna McDaniel, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean and the Linda Harman Aiken Professor. “It has been 10 years since we graduated our first DNP cohort, and the time is right to align and improve our processes and systems going forward. We must become more agile and responsive to the rapid changes in the practice arena, while also taking the opportunity to pause and use the continuous quality improvement process to strengthen the DNP program.”
Another exciting addition to the program is the development of a new specialty concentration — Health System Design and Executive Leadership. This new concentration is set to launch in spring 2021 and will prepare graduates to strategically lead teams and organizations through a specialized interdisciplinary curriculum.
“The University of Florida is the ideal institution to offer a distinctive executive leadership program because UF is known for excellent, highly ranked academic programs and interprofessional collaboration,” McDaniel said.
Why Gator Nursing
For Sealy, Theoktisto and Torres, the choice was clear on where to earn their DNP degree. Gator Nursing has a strong tradition of excellence and is one of six colleges within the UF academic health center, one of the most comprehensive academic health care centers in the southeast.
Laura Sealy (DNP 2016, BSN 2013) with Albert.
For Sealy, being a nurse practitioner and caring for children who were just like her has been a huge part of the journey. And she said she owes it all to the education she received at UF.
“The College of Nursing at the University of Florida helped me achieve my goals and encouraged and enabled me to go beyond what I ever imagined for myself. The education and support I received as a student is truly unmatched, and I can’t imagine being part of any other program. The DNP program gave me the skills and experiences I needed to be a successful nurse practitioner and be the best I can be for my patients.”
