Fort Valley State University has established a new nursing program, and recently announced that nursing industry maven Dr. Lawanda Greene will be the founding director. Learn more about why Dr. Greene is a great fit for her new role in the FVSU release below.

Credit: Fort Valley State University

Fort Valley State University (FVSU) recently announced the appointment of Dr. Lawanda Greene as its founding director of nursing. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at FVSU is newly approved by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. Dr. Greene will begin her appointment effective January 1, 2022.

Dr. Greene earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Georgia Regents University (now Augusta University); a BSN in Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia; and a Master of Public Health from Georgia Southern University.

Dr. Greene is an associate professor and board-certified Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP). She currently serves as the Master of Science (MSN) Coordinator for an AGACNP program at Middle Georgia State University.

Commenting on her appointment, Dr. Greene said, “I am delighted to be selected as the founding director of the nursing program at Fort Valley State University. The opportunity to lead a new program to prepare future nurses is extremely pivotal during this time of change in healthcare. It is vital to prepare nursing students to meet the holistic needs of each patient under their care.”

Dr. Greene started her career in academia as an assistant professor and taught courses in the ASN/BSN programs. She previously served as chair of the curriculum committee before moving into the MSN program in 2016. Dr. Greene was instrumental in developing the program, taking the lead for course development, assisting with the accreditation process, setting program and course outcomes, and aligning the program objectives with professional standards and the university’s mission.

Credit: Your Doctor’s Immediate Care Team

She was named program Coordinator in 2017. Her current responsibilities include student recruitment, program organization, course implementation, initiating clinical contracts, developing handbooks and clinical paperwork, creating new graduate-level programs, leading the MSN committee, and training new faculty.

“The care of patients in rural, underserved communities is critical as many health conditions can be prevented or detected early, decreasing healthcare costs, improving patient satisfaction, and decreasing morbidity and mortality,” said Dr. Green. “ I pray that God will instill in me the wisdom to develop and implement a program that will produce a diverse pool of competent and compassionate nurses who have a servant’s mindset and lead innovative healthcare initiatives in the communities they serve to improve patient outcomes. ”

In August, FVSU announced an educational partnership with Phoebe Putney Health System, Inc.  to launch a new BSN program that aims to address the critical need for nurses in rural Georgia. A $240,000 investment from Phoebe will support the development of the BSN degree at FVSU providing students the education, training and career path opportunity to become licensed registered nurses to work in hospitals and other healthcare settings.