Debbie Peterson

Debbie Peterson, Nursing Instructor

Debbie Peterson wanted to be a nurse ever since she volunteered as a “candy striper” at age 13 at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Billings.

After working as a practicing nurse for years, she discovered that “teaching is in my blood.”

Debbie now teaches nursing in the Montana State University-Bozeman School of Nursing, at the school’s extended campus in Billings. The program educates 40 nurses each semester. “We used to have 32 students per semester,” she says. “We have tried to respond to the nursing shortage by increasing enrollment.”

The best nurses combine old-fashioned compassion with state-of-the-art expertise. That’s the kind of nurse Debbie seeks to nurture. “We teach them to be front-line advocates for their patients, along with easing pain and providing support and wellness education,” she says.

“We are working hard to graduate students prepared to work in today’s health care.”

It’s a fast-paced world of complex technology and high stress. Today’s nurses take care of more patients who are in the hospital for shorter periods – resulting in a faster turnover of patients on each shift.

“I think we do a great job of preparing students for these challenges,” Debbie says. Historically, 90% of her school’s graduates have passed the board exam – well above the national average.

Debbie has a lot of faith in the upcoming generation of nurses themselves. “This generation is very adaptable and flexible; they’re willing to meet the challenges and try new things,” she says.

One hallmark of Debbie’s program is that students complete over a thousand hours of direct clinical patient care. “When out-of-state recruiters hear that, their mouths drop open,” Debbie says. “Many nursing programs have far fewer clinical hours.”

In her leadership and management course, students not only work one-on-one with a practicing nurse taking care of patients, they also work with a nurse manager.

Fortunately for Montana, 70% of the program’s graduates stay in state – taking care of Montana’s people and contributing to the state’s economy. That’s a double return on the investment the State of Montana makes in this program.

But Debbie worries about the future of nursing instruction. “There will be a nursing faculty shortage in the coming years,” she says. Many nursing faculty members will retire and recruiting new ones won’t be easy.

In her free time, Debbie volunteers for Meals on Wheels along with her children, helping home-bound senior citizens.

Debbie Peterson and her fellow nursing instructors statewide are doing work that matters for Montana’s people and the state’s economy.