Professor Lori Anderson began her teaching career at the UNW School of Nursing in 2014 as a Clinical Adjunct Faculty member. She became full-time in 2018. Prior to that, Professor Anderson held positions serving as a Faith Community Nurse Network Manager, the Wellness Coordinator in the HealthEast Care System and the Pastoral Nurse at Avinity Senior Living.

She currently teaches Community & Population Based Care Services and manages clinicals for this and the Leadership course. Professor Anderson says, “I hope my students will have a broader vision of the many Community and Public Health Nursing roles through which the Lord can use them to impact the world. Many students come into my course thinking that nurses only work in hospitals or clinics. I love introducing them to the roles of Faith Community Nursing, Public Health Nursing, School Nursing, Occupational Health, Correctional Nursing, and more!”

Professor Anderson and her husband Bryan serves as Prayer Team Directors at Eagle Brooke Church – Blaine. She has two sons, two daughters-in-law, three granddaughters, and a grandson. She enjoys reading, writing, gardening, camping, hiking and biking. 

Publications/Presentations:

• Anderson, Lori R, “Outreach Initiative: Respite at Home Partnership with Joni & Friends Disability Ministry, pp. 445-446, in Schoon, Patricia, & Porta, Carolyn, (2023) Population-Based Public Health Clinical Manual: The Henry Street Model for Nurses, (4th ed), Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International.
• Faith Community Nursing and Spiritual Care/Working with Chaplains, Panel Presentation for the Faith Community Nurse Network of the Greater Twin Cities, June 16, 2022.
• “Faith Community Nurses’ Impact on Family Caregiving,” Faith Community Nurse Network Symposium, September 17, 2020
• “The Pastoral Nurse Role: A model for providing wellness and spiritual support to Independent Living Residents” presentation, Benedictine Health System Leadership Conference, Sept. 27, 2012, Duluth, MN.
• “Documentation System for Faith Community Nurses,” Westberg Symposium, September 2008.
• “Strengthening Healing Ministries to Seniors Though the Pastoral Nurse Role,” Presentation, Westberg Symposium on Parish Nursing, St. Louis, MO, September 2007.
• “Weaving the Tapestry of Health Ministry,” Westberg Parish Nurse Symposium,” Chicago, IL; September 2000, co-presenter.

Professional Experience

• C
• Administrative Nursing Supervisor                                            2012-2014
• EPIC Instructor                                                                         2010-2011
• Assistant Nurse Manager                                                          2003-2006

St. Catherine’s University, St. Paul, MN

• Assistant Nursing Professor            2015-2017

Expertise and Topics of Interest

• Simulation learning and evaluation
• Clinical instruction
• Active learning techniques used in classroom
• Professionalism and psychological safety in nursing
• Communication evaluation for nursing students
• Self care

Courses Taught at UNW in the past 3-5 years

NUR 2216

NUR 2218 (clinical)

NUR 3216 (clinical and simulation)

NUR 3317

NUR 4318

Publications/Presentations

• Co-author of quantitative research study published in the July/August 2015 issue of Nursing Education Perspectives
• Poster presenter of qualitative study done as scholarly project on nursing faculty recommendations for evidence based teaching practices for Nurse Tim conference in Bloomington, MN 2014
• Co-presentor for study on faculty use of evidence in teaching at NLN education summit October 2015

Research/Grants

Current research for my PhD dissertation is titled, “EVALUATING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION OF BACCALAUREATE NURSING STUDENTS”.  I am completing this through the University of Northern Colorado as my final project.

Awarded a grant for this research through the College of Natural and Health Sciences Student Research Fund December 2023

Personal

Church involvement or community service

Belong to Living Christ Lutheran Church in Chanhassen and work with some of the community outreach

Personal teaching philosophy

Nursing is a passion for me. It is not static, but ever changing and requires educators to be committed to learning and researching what affects our practice.  Part of my philosophy as a teacher is to be focused on driving the change to benefit the profession and support those who practice it.

I don’t want to just teach a student how to communicate in a critical situation, I want to be able to ensure they will be able to perform that skill. In my current position I focus on increasing student proficiency in practice while teaching required information. I feel it is very important to individually provide feedback on how students can grow in their own practice focusing on their level of proficiency.  Evaluating practice aspects makes students more confident in their ability to speak up in tough situations as well as asking critical questions. I feel that the future of nursing is in the nursing student, not just facts that they learn but in how they act and approach their ever-changing profession. Nursing is a professional discipline and as such we need to train our new recruits how to navigate through complex situations and be leaders in the care of others.  In this advancing world our profession needs to build nurses who can navigate technology as well as reach the human side of those we take care of.

Favorite verse or quote

Funny enough it is the verse that most people use for death but it speaks to life for me:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalms 23:4

Hobbies

Reading-especially science fiction, knitting, crochet, Marvel movies, cooking, gardening, trying new things, travel, Bible study

Family

Husband- Sean, married 3/3/2001

Daughter Elisabeth- 18, attending University of Colorado in Colorado Springs for a Psychology degree

Son Duncan- 16, attending Shakopee High School, a junior this year

Why do you love your discipline?

I wanted to be a nurse when I was 10 in order to be like my dad who worked as a nurse in the mental health field and as a prison nurse.  When I was young, I didn’t know a lot about nursing but I was shown what it was like to be around someone who loves their work.  My dad used to say that if you love what you do, it is not work.  As I progressed in my career and was actually in nursing I began to see what nursing actually IS and I fell in love. The ability to be the hands and feet of Jesus as we care for those who are in need is such a high calling that I am honored to serve.  Nursing is not just about caring in the physical but also the emotional and the spiritual.  Nursing is about learning about individuals and caring for their concerns- not just following a protocol or giving medications.  I love the scope of nursing and how in the broad sense we care for the whole person as well as the community.  I have never been bored, am frequently challenged, and continue to grow every day in this field. With God’s grace I will continue to be challenged and grow in my discipline and have Him to walk beside me guiding me to what will be next on this journey.  I could go on about this but I feel God’s presence in the hard times as well as the good in nursing and truly feel He has called me to be involved in this discipline.