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I am a full-time clinical instructor for the undergraduate program at the University of Texas at El Paso. I have been a nurse for almost 19 years.  I spent 13 years as a NICU nurse and 3 years as a RN Residency manager. I have worked the last 4 years at UTEP and taught Intro to Nursing, OB/Pedi, Health Asssessment and Acute Care. I have two sons and a step-daughter, all  recent college graduates, and am a full time PhD student.  It's great to see you all again!
Sarah Y Jimenez

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Hi everyone and Happy New Year!
I'm Dinorah Martinez-Anderson. I'm a PT PhD student and I'm blessed to be in this class with all of you.

From our StrengthFinders Exercise from beginning of this program, my strengths were Belief, Positivity, Woo, Communication and Responsibility. In terms of one strength that will help me be successful in this Health Policy class, I will have to choose Communication. When we consider the situation in our government, literally at this very moment, there's a stalemate (government shutdown) due to unwillingness to communicate with a willingness to come to an agreement. I believe with Health Policy, an open mind is required and I know I will learn so much more in this class.

A little about myself, I'm a bilingual Family Nurse Practitioner, and Graduate Nurse Educator. Aside from being a PhD student, I do wear many hats, that make my life rather busy. I have been a nurse for 25 years and an advanced practice nurse for 7 years now. I have been married for 27 years, and have 2 sons, Josiah (21 yrs) and Jacob (18 yrs), we have 2 furry children, Maddie and Miracle (weimeraners).

Dr. Yarbrough is my advisor, so I am doubly blessed this semester to have her as my instructor again. I look forward to learning alongside all of you and pray for a smooth and stress-free semester for all of you.

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Hello all…

My name is Bridgette and I am a native of Connecticut (GO HUSKIES!!), but you all know this alreay.  I work in two undergraduate nursing programs as lecture and clinical faculty.  My strength is being process analysis.  I like to know a process from start to finish (origination, how it works, what makes it work, weak areas, and why).  This relates to healthcare policy because in order to understand the rationales for policies related to healthcare, you have to understand the process for which they originate, who benefits and who doesn’t, is it really needed and why, who and what will be affected.  I look forward to learning more and how to contribute to this process as future leaders.

There are many familiar faces in this course and I look forward to spending more time with my fellow PhrnDz!  Let’s get this party started!

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Hi everyone,
I am Sylvia Waweru and i live in Mobile, Alabama. I am faculty at the University of South Alabama. My top 5 strengths are achiever, learner, futuristic, focus and harmony. Having a futuristic strength can be of benefit in creating a vision for the future. The harmony strength can facilitate my navigating the policy arena in a peaceful manner. As a learner, i am open to learn and adjust as needed. With focus, i can follow through and stay committed to issues.
Have a successful semester everyone!

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Sorry I'm late to the party! My pop-up blocker wouldn't let me add my post so i finally got it figured out! My name is Erin Gibson and I live in a different part of West Texas than the others here. I am full time faculty at Texas Tech University.

Like many of you I have always had a natural interest in healthcare policy. I think this stems from me being a bit of a "rule follower", don't judge me. Being married to a registered lobbyist fuels the fire and so policy is always a topic of conversation. Other than being an ICU nurse and educator, I think one of the biggest rewards is being at the frontline serving as a voice to inform nursing practice. I have so much to learn and I am looking forward to this class!

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Hello, everyone! I am happy to see all familiar faces in this class. Hope you all had a wonderful break!

I currently work full-time in labor & delivery in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and part-time at Oral Roberts University. My top strength is input & I plan to take what I learn here & store it away until I need it. I am a naturally curious person (that would be why input is my number 1 strength, haha) & healthcare policy has always seemed interesting to me, but I have never had the chance to dig into it until now. I am excited to learn more about this topic!

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I am so pleased to be back for another semester of learning.  My name is Laura Rodriguez, and I, like Kathleen, live in El Paso, Texas.  Thankfully, El Paso is located in far west Texas, and is safe from the winter weather Franklin and other folks are experiencing.

My strengths, according to the Strengths Finder survey, include achiever, consistency, strategic, and relator. Together, these strengths will help me develop thoughtful relationships in the political arena to help ensure fair healthcare for all.

While healthcare policy has peaked my interest in the past, I have yet to capitalize on the opportunity to get involved.  Hopefully, with the skills I develop this semester, I can gather the courage to "jump in" to the political arena.  I look forward to working with you all!

Laura

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HI folks - This is Debby Hall.  I believe 3 of my strengths will support my work in the policy area:Strategic – good planning can improve success, either at work or the political arena Stamina – I have lots of stamina.  My thought is that one needs lots of stamina to affect policy Responsibility – I always try to do good, honest work.  All of these together indicate I will work hard to get things done - and be honest

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HI folks - This is Debby Hall.  I believe 3 of my strengths will support my work in the policy area:Strategic – good planning can improve success, either at work or the political arena Stamina – I have lots of stamina.  My thought is that one needs lots of stamina to affect policy Responsibility – I always try to do good, honest work.  All of these together indicate I will work hard to get things done - and be honest

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Hello All,

Happy New Year and cheers to another semester of fun learning. I am Franklin Wynn and I live in Houston, Texas where we are having a very interesting winter. We had snow in December and an ice storm on yesterday and today; all of which caused the city to shut down. Typically, our winter consist of an “occasional” cold front of 40 degrees or so. Needless to say, today’s low of 19 degrees was far below average. At only rate, I’m ready to have my seasonal 60 degree weather back.

My biggest strengths are input and analytical. People that have an input strength are inquisitive and gather information. Both of those can be influential in health policy, in particular when it comes to identifying needs or areas where changes may be needed. Being analytical further supports these tasks.

I have been somewhat excited about this course from the beginning of the program. Mainly because I have always been interested in policy. I am looking forward to seeing how this interest leads me through the semester.

Happy Learning,

Franklin

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I live and work in Austin, TX.  I'm a nurse practitioner in an Internal Med office.  Lot's of flu right now.  My strengths are working with people and communication.  I'm interested in this class to learn more about policy and my role in it. I can't really figure out how to add my photo to this entry.  But I'll keep trying.

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HI all- I am Kathleen Cox and I am the Director of the AGACNP program at UTEP and have a part-time clinical practice in Vascular Surgery. I live in El Paso, TX. My strengths are communication and strategic thinking. My research topic is emotional intelligence in Advanced Practice Nurses. My think my strengths and topic lend themselves to policy development because it is my belief that Advanced Practice Nurses are the "glue" that hold health care teams together. APNs move across the healthcare environment to communicate, educate, lead, and facilitate teamwork. Policy, whether local, national, or international is deeply influenced by APN leaders. Here's to a great semester!

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I am Susan Yarbrough, your course instructor. I am so pleased to be able to spend this semester with you.  Use this space to introduce yourself to the class (include your name and a clear picture). Think about your strengths and describe how one or all will support your work in the policy arena.  Also, don't forget to post a picture! We are going to have a great semester!