96 | www. Char l es tonPhys i c i ans . com | www.Hea l thL i nksChar l es ton . com T H E P U L S E O N CHARLESTON NURSES DR. BERRY S. ANDERSON, PHD, RN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF NURSING, THE COLLEGE OF NURSING AT MUSC Seeds for Dr. Berry S. Anderson’s nursing career were planted by his mother and father, who both were nurses. Dr. Anderson is now teaching and inspiring hundreds of nurses for generations to come. His specialty areas are brain stimulation treatments for depression and active learning classroom design. An associate professor in the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing and the Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership Academic Program director, Dr. Anderson teaches in the undergraduate and graduate nursing program, with a focus on mental health and evidence-based practice. He tells aspiring nurses, “There is a way to get to where you want your career to be. Find a mentor, a teacher to help guide you along the way. You have unlimited possibilities.” “During nursing school, I was drawn to mental health and influenced by great instructors,” said Dr. Anderson. “After working in brain stimulation research, I wanted more opportunities to make a difference and completed my PhD. This allowed me to teach nursing, which is my current passion.” Dr. Anderson received his BSN from South Carolina State University and his PhD from MUSC. He began as a psychiatric nurse on an acute inpatient behavioral health unit. After several years, he transitioned to research and became the nurse manager for the MUSC Brain Stimulation Laboratory and Mood Disorders Program. To provide support and encouragement for males who decide to go into nursing, Dr. Anderson formed the MUSC Men in Nursing group. He recognized the need to eliminate the stigma of men entering the nursing field. The group connects male nursing students with male nurses throughout MUSC who can offer words of encouragement. The connection fosters professional development that enhances teaching and learning as well. AMY WILLIAMS, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF NURSING, THE COLLEGE OF NURSING AT MUSC Amy Williams knows that “there are incredibly difficult days, weeks and months in the nursing profession.” She said she leans on the advice of a “wise, patient, seasoned nurse mentor” to inspire her every day. Her mentor’s advice: “We treat each day and each patient encounter as a new experience, leaving behind the other stresses of the day, week or month. This is because each patient encounter deserves our full attention and dedication.” “This advice has carried me through some of my most difficult professional moments,” Williams said. “I still consider myself privileged to have gotten this advice early on and, now, to get to share it with my students.” Williams is an associate professor in the Doctorate of Nursing Practice program at The Medical University of South Carolina. She received her BSN, MSN to become a pediatric nurse practitioner and DNP from MUSC. She is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner. “I moved to Charleston to get my undergraduate nursing degree and decided that I never wanted to live anywhere else,” Williams said. She is interested in health care policy and advocacy, childhood obesity, childhood asthma, infant, child and adolescent development, health equity and promoting culturally effective health care. Williams’ honors include the DAISY Award for extraordinary nurses and the Palmetto Gold Award. She is also an MUSC Innovator Award winner and a Jonas scholar. “Unlike many nurses, I am a first-generation nurse in my family,” Williams said. “My maternal grandmother, who had an amazing influence on my life, was a longtime volunteer at her local community hospital. She always spoke so highly of the nurses and the work that they did each day.” “I absolutely love science and feel very invested in helping others, especially in times of need,” Williams added. “Because of this early influence on what it meant to be a nurse, nursing gradually seemed like the perfect fit for me. To this day, I think it is a highly challenging but rewarding profession.” HealthLinks CHARLESTON has partnered with the MUSC College of Nursing to highlight some of the Lowcountry's top nurses. Expand your career! nursing.musc.edu
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1