HEATHER MCKNIGHT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY TEXARKANA
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The most rewarding aspect of my profession is seeing the ‘ah-ha’ moments in our students and nurses. These moments make all the hard work and late nights worth it.
Director of Nursing and Associate Professor Dr. Heather McKnight has been at Texas A&M University - Texarkana for six years. In her position, she is focused on student success and meeting the needs of a rapidly changing healthcare landscape. She chose to enter the field of nursing education because of her deep passion for mentoring and teaching. “As a nurse educator, I am able to make an impact on nurses from the early stages of their educational journeys, and I continue to mentor them as their careers evolve over the years,” Dr. McKnight says. “The most rewarding aspect of my profession is seeing the ‘ah-ha’ moments in our students and nurses. These moments make all the hard work and late nights worth it.” For Dr. McKnight, the most challenging part of being an educator is learning not to take all the work—including the mental and spiritual aspects—home with her. “I work every day to practice self-care and allow myself to unplug for nursing,” Dr. McKnight says. “On the tough days, I take time to reflect on why I am a nurse educator, which usually gives me the motivation I need. When reflection isn’t enough, I reach out to my mentors to get a little pep talk.” As the pandemic has shown the world, educators need to be able to pivot their teaching methods quickly. Dr. McKnight sees this continuing at a smaller scale, so she advocates for continued professional development. “If we are constantly seeking to learn more, we are better able to 022
meet the needs of the changing education landscape,” Dr. McKnight says. “I am honored to be a change agent at TAMUT. I serve on a variety of committees that are focused on curricular updates, and I am involved in numerous new program idea proposals to expand the offerings at TAMUT to meet the needs of our East Texas community.” Dr. McKnight’s proudest accomplishment to date is earning tenure at TAMUT. “For me, tenure was a major career milestone that I was able to earn while launching new nursing programs, mentoring faculty and staff, and still maintaining a life at home,” Dr. McKnight says. Outside of work, Dr. McKnight enjoys many eclectic hobbies, from reading to fishing, but A LT M a g a z i n e | A u g u s t 2 0 2 2
