What is Faculty Practice?
At the WVU School of Nursing, we define faculty practice as direct patient care and other professional nursing services provided by nursing faculty, through formal relationships with individuals, communities, and other entities, as part of the assigned workload duties.
The mission is to integrate nursing faculty practice with the education, research/scholarship, and service missions of the WVU School of Nursing. It is a bidirectional relationship in which teaching makes us better practitioners and practice makes us better teachers and scholars.
Faculty Practice Feature: Kendra Barker
Kendra Barker's faculty practice is as a nurse practitioner at Milan Puskar Health Right in Morgantown, WV.
Q: How would you describe what you do in a typical day of faculty practice to someone unfamiliar with your specialty?
A: I see patients as a Family Nurse Practitioner in a primary care clinic setting. I provide primary care as well as specialized care for Substance Use Disorders & Diabetes. I evaluate patients with a history and physical exam, order & interpret diagnostic tests and lead advanced practice nursing care by treating various disorders, prescribing medications, and providing health promotional education and encouragement.
A: I have always been passionate about maintaining nursing practice as a faculty member so that I remain current in my practice abilities and knowledge in order to guide students appropriately. Utilizing evidence-based guidelines and best practices within my practice enhances my ability to teach students and achieve scholarship through practice. Students can learn from my practice examples how to address complex healthcare needs while engaged in a community practice setting. I have disseminated several scholarly presentations and publications based on my practice.
Q: What is your favorite thing about your faculty practice?
A: I love being able to spend part of my time in the clinic helping patients get better health and part of my time as faculty helping students learn. This is very rewarding!