Voices from the Nursing Frontline

TCNA

Welcome to the Voices from the Nursing Frontline, proudly sponsored by the Tennessee Center for Nursing Advancement. Join host, Lisa Beasley, as she shines a spotlight on the remarkable individuals who are shaping the future of nursing. In this new season, we’re diving deeper than ever into the heart of the nursing profession. From innovative practices and groundbreaking research to the real-life stories of resilience and dedication, we’re here to bring you the voices that matter most in the world of nursing. Each episode invites you to explore compelling stories and practical advice tailored to enhancing nurse well-being, optimizing recruitment and retention efforts, pioneering innovative teaching methodologies, and leveraging cutting-edge data and technology. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner, a nursing student, a healthcare leader or executive, or involved in academia, there’s something here for everyone. Get ready to embark on this exciting new season with us. Together, we’ll celebrate the heroes in scrubs and the advancements driving the future of care. Voices from the Nursing Frontline is sponsored by The Tennessee Center for Nursing Advancement, an innovative initiative uniting academic and clinical nursing, healthcare leadership, and governmental agencies to tackle the pressing challenges facing the nursing profession and healthcare industry for all nurses in the state of Tennessee. Tune in, subscribe, and embark on a journey of growth and empowerment with Voices from the Nursing Frontline! We would like to give a big thank you to the ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band for our beautiful theme music!

  1. Sep 9

    Nurses as Leaders: Transforming Healthcare Through DNP Education with Montrese Alleyne

    In this episode of Voices from the Nursing Frontline, host Dr. Lisa Beasley speaks with Dr. Montrese Alleyne, an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing, about her journey from clinical nursing practice to advanced practice, doctoral education, and nurse education. Dr. Alleyne began her nursing career in the neonatal intensive care unit, where she spent approximately 13 years caring for premature infants. Her experiences in the NICU led her to recognize connections between maternal health, chronic disease, and infant outcomes. Wanting to broaden her scope of practice, she became a family nurse practitioner before pursuing her DNP and ultimately moving into nursing education. Her passion for teaching, precepting, mentoring, and helping others succeed became central to her career. The conversation examines what distinguishes Doctor of Nursing Practice education from undergraduate and master's-level nursing education. Dr. Alleyne explains that DNP education focuses on translating evidence into meaningful change, evaluating outcomes, improving healthcare systems, and addressing the needs of entire populations rather than focusing solely on individual patient encounters. Dr. Alleyne also discusses the challenges DNP students face as they balance doctoral coursework with professional and family responsibilities. She emphasizes the importance of maintaining high academic expectations while also encouraging students to give themselves grace. She describes the role of faculty as both supporting students and challenging them to develop confidence, resilience, critical thinking, and independence. Another major focus is the DNP project and the importance of selecting projects that address genuine clinical or organizational needs. Dr. Alleyne encourages students to choose problems they are passionate about while considering stakeholders, resources, timelines, and measurable outcomes. The goal is to create evidence-based improvements that can continue to benefit patients and organizations after the project is completed. The episode also explores leadership, clinical judgment, professional accountability, and the evolving role of technology in healthcare. Dr. Alleyne emphasizes that leadership does not require a formal title and that nurses at every level can influence patient care through collaboration, communication, advocacy, and accountability. She also discusses the growing importance of artificial intelligence in healthcare and nursing education, stressing that nurses must learn to use these tools responsibly while continuing to rely on critical thinking and prioritize patient safety. As the episode concludes, Dr. Alleyne encourages nurses considering a DNP to understand their "why." She describes nursing as a profession capable of creating meaningful change far beyond the bedside and encourages nurses to recognize their potential to influence healthcare systems, communities, and the future of the profession.

    Nurses as Leaders: Transforming Healthcare Through DNP Education with Montrese Alleyne
  2. Sep 2

    Radon, Research, and the Power of Community Partnerships with Stacy Stanifer

    In this episode of Voices from the Nursing Frontline, host Dr. Lisa Beasley welcomes Dr. Stacy Stanifer, assistant professor at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing, for the second part of their conversation about radon, citizen science, community partnerships, and cancer prevention. Dr. Stanifer discusses the unique role public libraries have played in making radon testing more accessible. Through the Radon on the Radar project, libraries have provided continuous radon monitors for community members to borrow, creating an affordable and convenient way for people to test their homes. The project found that making detectors available through libraries significantly increased testing, with testing increasing 2.5-fold across the four counties involved in the full project. The conversation also explores how community coalitions and citizen scientists helped extend the reach of the research. Local health departments, cancer organizations, healthcare providers, elected officials, libraries, real estate professionals, and community members each contributed their own knowledge and connections. Dr. Stanifer emphasizes that these local partners brought something a university research team could not: established trust and an understanding of the communities they served. As Radon on the Radar moves into its next phase, the focus shifts from simply identifying elevated radon levels to helping people take action. Dr. Stanifer discusses barriers to radon mitigation, particularly the shortage of trained professionals available to serve rural communities. Her team is partnering with Kentucky's community and technical college system to develop training that teaches students radon-resistant construction techniques, radon measurement, and mitigation. The episode also introduces My Radon Report, an individualized online resource being developed to help people understand their radon results and determine appropriate next steps. The goal is to provide personalized information and connect individuals with resources such as certified mitigators, financial assistance, tobacco cessation services, and educational materials. Dr. Stanifer encourages healthcare providers to make radon education part of routine patient care. She recommends that providers test their own homes so they can speak about the process from personal experience and suggests incorporating radon questions into health histories, electronic health records, discharge information, cancer survivorship plans, and lung cancer screening conversations. The discussion expands beyond radon to environmental health and climate-related threats to cancer patients. Dr. Stanifer explains how extreme weather events can disrupt cancer treatment, create infection risks, damage medications, and expose immunocompromised patients to contaminated water and mold. She argues that nursing education and healthcare organizations should prepare nurses to recognize these environmental risks and consider sustainability in healthcare delivery. Finally, Dr. Stanifer discusses the importance of nurses becoming more visible in environmental health and policy. Nurses are a large, trusted workforce with firsthand knowledge of the challenges facing patients and communities. She encourages nurses to use their voices through professional organizations, policy engagement, community partnerships, and direct communication with elected officials. Ultimately, she hopes her research will help inform policies that increase radon testing and mitigation and potentially lead to changes in building codes.

    Radon, Research, and the Power of Community Partnerships with Stacy Stanifer

About

Welcome to the Voices from the Nursing Frontline, proudly sponsored by the Tennessee Center for Nursing Advancement. Join host, Lisa Beasley, as she shines a spotlight on the remarkable individuals who are shaping the future of nursing. In this new season, we’re diving deeper than ever into the heart of the nursing profession. From innovative practices and groundbreaking research to the real-life stories of resilience and dedication, we’re here to bring you the voices that matter most in the world of nursing. Each episode invites you to explore compelling stories and practical advice tailored to enhancing nurse well-being, optimizing recruitment and retention efforts, pioneering innovative teaching methodologies, and leveraging cutting-edge data and technology. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner, a nursing student, a healthcare leader or executive, or involved in academia, there’s something here for everyone. Get ready to embark on this exciting new season with us. Together, we’ll celebrate the heroes in scrubs and the advancements driving the future of care. Voices from the Nursing Frontline is sponsored by The Tennessee Center for Nursing Advancement, an innovative initiative uniting academic and clinical nursing, healthcare leadership, and governmental agencies to tackle the pressing challenges facing the nursing profession and healthcare industry for all nurses in the state of Tennessee. Tune in, subscribe, and embark on a journey of growth and empowerment with Voices from the Nursing Frontline! We would like to give a big thank you to the ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band for our beautiful theme music!