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: Megan Boyle
Megan Boyle, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, currently practices in outpatient psychiatry at Chestnut Ridge Center/Healthy Minds.
Q. How would you describe what you do in a typical day of faculty practice to someone unfamiliar with your specialty?
A. A typical day is spent meeting with patients who are either seeking mental health treatment on their own or have been referred by their PCP or another specialty. I conduct psychiatric evaluations with new patients and follow up with established patients, with a focus on their mental health and overall well-being. Treatment may include pharmacotherapy and talk therapy, as well as encouraging behavioral activation, restoring hope, developing self-efficacy, practicing self-compassion, and helping patients navigate both the joy and disappointment that come with being human.
A. A typical day is spent meeting with patients who are either seeking mental health treatment on their own or have been referred by their PCP or another specialty. I conduct psychiatric evaluations with new patients and follow up with established patients, with a focus on their mental health and overall well-being. Treatment may include pharmacotherapy and talk therapy, as well as encouraging behavioral activation, restoring hope, developing self-efficacy, practicing self-compassion, and helping patients navigate both the joy and disappointment that come with being human.
Q. Describe how your faculty practice enhances your other academic roles.
A. Faculty practice gives me a unique vantage point between clinical practice and education. I can take what I learn from my patients and use those experiences to make what I teach more relevant to students, while questions and perspectives from students often lead me to think differently about my own clinical practice. Moving between the two roles keeps both my teaching and clinical practice current and evolving.
A. Faculty practice gives me a unique vantage point between clinical practice and education. I can take what I learn from my patients and use those experiences to make what I teach more relevant to students, while questions and perspectives from students often lead me to think differently about my own clinical practice. Moving between the two roles keeps both my teaching and clinical practice current and evolving.
Q. What is your favorite thing about your faculty practice?
A. My favorite part of practice is the opportunity to connect with people and to be curious about someone else’s experience. I enjoy listening for patterns, getting to the root of what may be contributing to their distress, and working together to problem-solve options that may lessen their symptoms and restore optimism. One of the most rewarding parts is witnessing patients as they recognize that they are often far more capable than they give themselves credit for and begin to rebuild one of the most important relationships they have, the one with themselves.
A. My favorite part of practice is the opportunity to connect with people and to be curious about someone else’s experience. I enjoy listening for patterns, getting to the root of what may be contributing to their distress, and working together to problem-solve options that may lessen their symptoms and restore optimism. One of the most rewarding parts is witnessing patients as they recognize that they are often far more capable than they give themselves credit for and begin to rebuild one of the most important relationships they have, the one with themselves.