Biography

Mary Wyckoff has been a faculty member at Samuel Merritt University since 2015. Prior to taking this position she was faculty in the Master and DNP program at the University of Miami and Barry University. She was the Director of Research at the William Lehman Trauma Research Center, University of Miami and Jackson Health System. She was the Nurse Pracitioner Supervisor in Acute Care Trauma/Surgery/Transplant/Cardiothoracic at Jackson Health System in Miami for 22 years. Her career encompassed neonatal nurse manager, neonatal nurse practitioner and trauma nurse specialist. She remains board certified as a nurse practitioner in family practice, neonatology and acute care adult. She has also been faculty at Northeastern University and Chamberlain University. She was an elected member of the nursing congress from 2006-2010 and worked on the L.A.C.E. project through ANA. She is also a nominated Fellow in the American Acadamy of Nurse Practitioners. She is currently an Associate Professor in the FNP program in Sacramento. Her primary focus is on research, quality, vascular access, health policy, palliative care, intensive care with experience across the continuun of life from neonatal to geriatric.

Education

I received my BSN, MSN Family Practice, post-masters Adult Acute Care, and PhD from Barry University, Florida. I received a post-master in Neonatology from Duke University, North Carolina and Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and remain board certified across the continuum of care. I thoroughly love nursing and continue to practice across the lifespan of healthcare.

Professionally, I have many years of providing education and guidance for nursing at the graduate and doctoral levels. I am an Associate Professor at Samuel Merritt University, and most recently I have been a visiting professor at Chamberlain College of Nursing since 2015 involved in both the FNP and DNP programs, Northeastern University, Barry University and the University of Miami in Master's and Doctorate programs. I enjoy being part of the educational path of our future leaders and facilitating our visionary future.

On a personal level, I am married with three children, two who are nurse practitioners and one daughter with a Master’s degree in health administration. I have 6 grandchildren who are uniquely adorable. I absolutely love snow, Christmas, puppies, especially Golden retrievers and Papillons. When I am not teaching or providing care I am hiking, biking, kayaking, or skiing.

Education

 2005-2007       Doctor of Philosophy

Barry University, Miami Shores, Florida

Department of Nursing

Dissertation: “Living with Intracranial Hypertension: A Phenomenological Inquiry”

1989-1993       Master of Science

Barry University, Miami Shores, Florida

Department of Nursing

Family Nurse Practitioner

Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (ANCC)

Thesis: “Communication Interactions and Psychosocial Support In the Emergency Setting”

1985-1989       Baccalaureate of Science

Barry University, Miami Shores, Florida

1979-1984       Associate Degree of Science

Broward Community College, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

CERTIFICATION AND LICENSURE

Post Masters Certificate: Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts - August 2013

Certified Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NCC)

Post Masters Certificate: Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

Barry University, North Miami Shores, Florida – May, 2007

Certified Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ANCC)

Post-Masters Certificate: Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

Duke University, Durham, North Carolina - July 1998

Research: “Vascular Access in the Neonate”

Research Interest

Teaching Interests

My primary teaching interest is in research and philosophy of the individual patients from neonatal to geriatric. My philosophy of education is that every student will have the ability to experience a quality education. In our current situation of healthcare the experience of the student should prepare the individual to manage patients in our existing environment and prepare them to be innovative in managing the healthcare needs across the continuum from the newborn to the chronicity of geriatric population. The learning culture should be individualized and focused on providing information, situations and technology to facilitate exceptional experiences for each student.

I believe in the philosophy of teaching and learning at Samuel Merritt University and in providing a system of beliefs and values while developing an integral partnership with students and collaboration with peers in the teaching and learning process. My goal is clear and directed toward the preparation of health care practitioners whose practice is detailed, organized and coordinated to facilitate the care of each individual client with respect to their specific situations.

My framework for learning is focused on Kolb and Kolb, (2005) maintaining the four elements of the experiential learning theory. My goal is to provide detailed and concrete experience with clear rationale, grounded in evidence based practice while facilitating thought and analyzing individual situations. This theory facilitates observation and reflection on the implementation of care experienced in the learning process while enhancing the student's ability to analyze and evaluate indiviualized patient care needs. Case situations, simulations, online and face to face learning environments including clinical experience facilitate the formation of innovative care concepts and enhanced learning in clinical situations. This experiential learning then allows students (with preceptor guidance) to clinically evaluate patients and facilitate care in healthcare environments bringing evidence based care to our patients.

Learning is a social process and takes place within the context of the learner’s lifestyle, culture, and readiness to learn. Kolb and Kolb's theory is married to the philosophy of Samuel Merritt, which requires that our graduates use sound reasoning that incorporates the current best evidence, incorporating their clinical expertise, and the individual preferences to individualize the uniqueness of the people served. My partnership in learning is focused on the student, the healthcare of our population, peer faculty and the philosophy of Samuel Merritt. The learning plan I believe in is a partnership that honors the individual and respects the varied life experiences students bring to the learning environment.  In today's culture it is critical that I am aware of each individual students' emotional, social, psychological, cognitive development.

How I present as faculty is representative of the culture of Samuel Merritt. The actual process, outcomes, and competencies are integral to the educational development of the students. As a member of the faculty of Samuel Merritt I have the responsibility to establish an environment conducive to learning, exhibit expertise within the discipline of nursing, and facilitate learning through use of current, best practices of effective teaching and learning. Correlating my educational and nursing experience I have the ability to facilitate an educational advantage for our students by providing research experience, clinical expertise, individualized instruction with integral strategy to facilitate learning within different individualized preferences. By applying individual and a variety of approaches to the learning process and the integration of technology, with the incorporation multidisciplinary learning strategies into the daily learning student process the students will actualize the learning process with the experiential learning theory.

 As a faculty member I create an environment for students that promotes effective learning and incorporates clinical and practical applications that are grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and evidence based practice. The teaching-learning environment provides a critical foundation for learning in the health professions. Students who graduate from our outstanding programs are responsible for the health of the people they serve. This requires the integration, application, and critical evaluation of learning throughout all phases of each student's health professional education.

Scholarly Interests

Research Biography

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Initiated, facilitated and developed the peripherally inserted central catheter team (PICC). Developed business plans and facilitated the education and development of a nurse driven central venous vascular access team. Facilitated and provided education on ultrasound and central venous access for nursing and physicians.

Initiated, facilitated, and participated in the development of the palliative care unit and nurse practitioner lead palliative care system. Achieved certification as an End of Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNAC) educator and provided hospital wide education as a leader in the field of end of life care. Provided education for the surgical division and physicians to facilitate end of life education. Continue to facilitate palliative care in the intensive care units.

 Developed of model of nurse practitioner care in the intensive care setting. The Intensivist Model of nurse practitioners, a team of critical care nurse practitioners that facilitate and provide detailed intensive care and have improved outcomes, decreased length of stay and facilitated throughput within the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. This team has further facilitated the ability to fast track critical care patients from the operating room and prevents operative turnover delays. The quality initiatives include SCIP national initiatives and the Institute for health improvement (IHI) initiatives to decrease hospital acquired infections and be competitive at a national level with statistical evidence based care.

Authored multiple Magnet preparation modules and chapters for Magnet application.

Developed international relations with National Taipei College of Nursing and developed and facilitated an international exchange educational program for the past 4 years with registered nurses, nurse practitioners and Ph D prepared researchers.

Facilitated and enhanced evidenced based practice with the development and education of nursing research within the Jackson Health System. Provided multiple workshops on evidence based practice and remain the facilitator of the research committee.

Facilitated and developed with the nurse practitioner Unit Practice Council (UPC) a nurse practitioner model to facilitate a practice change of nurse practitioners to a system service based model from an individual model of practice. This unified model would coordinate the care provided by all nurse practitioners within Jackson Health System to provide unit based, system wide care to enhance the quality and safety of nursing and patient care.

Developed the Animal Assisted Therapy Program for Jackson Health System

Chair Best Practice Quality Improvement Committee

Co Chair of the Critical Care Quality Committee

Member of the professional practice group.