Q & A with Dr. Cheryl Sheils

Chief Nurse Administrator for Nursing Education Dr. Cheryl Sheils, EdD, RN, came to Bay Path with three decades of teaching experience informed by her research on diversifying the healthcare workforce and teaching cultural competency, and by 20 years of nursing experience with the non-profit Pioneer Valley Free Health Service of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Dr. Sheils is recipient of the Promoting Nursing Diversity Leadership Award from the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses and the March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award for Public and Community Health. In her (very little!) spare time, she enjoys gardening, reading, and cooking. Read her full bio here. 

What do you love about Nursing?

What’s exciting about the field of nursing is the impact nurses make on the lives of others. People trust us to advocate for their well-being when they are the most vulnerable.

I love being involved in program planning and nursing education curriculum because the best nursing education produces the best nurses. When people’s lives are at stake, mediocre won’t do!

What’s the value of a Doctorate in Nursing Practice?

• Lives saved: We know from research that a more educated nursing workforce is associated with decreased mortality rates and improved health outcomes.
• Leadership potential: The degree develops leaders ready for the country’s rise in outpatient care, need for cultural competency, emphasis on preventive health, greater consumer sophistication, and growth in nurse informatics (combining IT skills and nursing knowledge to make good use of electronic medical data).
• Job opportunity: Employment of nurse practitioners is projected to grow 36% 2016 to 2026.
• Compensation: The median annual wage for nurse practitioners was $103,000 in May 2017.

Why choose Bay Path for graduate work in Nursing Practice?

• For our fully online format (one of only five nationwide) that allows working RNs to continue working.
• For the University’s time-tested ability to provide first-rate support for online learners, as well as real community through collaborative discussions and projects.
• For our cutting-edge curriculum that prepares graduates for diverse patient care settings, healthcare informatics, leadership, interdisciplinary team-based healthcare, and interventions to control health risks.
• For faculty who are experienced practitioners in their specialty areas.