August 1, 2021 was Dothan-native Pamela Short’s first day at AUSON as Assistant Clinical Professor. Short is an Auburn alumnus, having completed both her bachelor’s (1993) and master’s (2018) degrees at AUSON. (She received her master’s degree with the last class of the combined AU/AUM (Auburn University at Montgomery) program in 2018.) After her graduation in 1993, she worked in the Intensive Care Unit at Four Rivers Medical Center, now Vaughan Regional Medical Center, in Selma.
Short joins us with a wealth of teaching experience as an adjunct instructor in psychiatric mental health courses — at Jacksonville State University, Tuskegee University, AUM — into her present appointment. This fall semester, she is scheduled to teach psychiatric mental health course with Dr. Stuart Pope.
She has taught foundations in nursing, emergency/disaster management in nursing, courses in evidence-based practice, palliative care, and served on a COVID Taskforce. At Wallace Community College Selma, she served as a full-time instructor for the Nursing Assistant/Home Health Aide program. She has taught adult medical-surgical nursing in the Licensed Practical Nursing program, mental health nursing, a kid-check clinical instructor, as laboratory and clinical instructor, and as a guest lecturer for a course in adult medical-surgical for the Associate Degree in Nursing program. Her research interests focus on implementing standardized nutritional screening tools to assess the nutritional health of geriatric patients admitted to acute care facilities.
“I think my students and I are joint partners in their educational journey to acquiring their degree,” says Short. “My goal is to foster the values of caring for all individuals with respect, dignity and compassion in my students. It is my job to provide an environment and model those values through classroom and clinical instruction so that they will exhibit those behaviors when providing patient care.” She considers it essential for students to develop an understanding and sensitivity, to provide quality patient care in a respectful and non-judgmental manner for all their patients, especially those with mental health challenges.
According to Short, the biggest trend in educating nurses today is utilizing technology to reach students and encouraging them to utilize these resources to enhance their knowledge. “We have access to virtual simulations that provide a safe environment for students to learn and practice their skills in preparation for clinical practice. These simulations are evidence-based practices and have been known to aid students. The communication with faculty and scenarios presented will also help prepare students with Telehealth appointments, which are now used increasingly due to COVID restrictions.”
Short is eager to start in Auburn because of its emphasis on scholarship and excellence. “We are excited that Pamela Short has come home,” said Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Dr. Caralise Hunt. “Although her primary area of teaching will be in mental health nursing, she brings a wealth of other nursing experience and will be able to contribute to many areas of our curriculum. Her excitement and enthusiasm are contagious, and I know the students will greatly benefit from her teaching and mentoring.”
Please join us in welcoming Pamela Short to Auburn!
