Date February **, ****

Name: To Whom It May Concern

Dear Hiring Manager,

As a solutions and patient-focused researcher and educator with rich, diverse experience as a primary investigator and director of program development, transformation, administration, and budget oversight, I am confident I will make immediate contributions in the role of Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies goals.

I am a Nursing Research Professor, dedicated to studying and assessing simulation methodologies and technologies used in healthcare education as a means of developing and maintaining clinical competency. Over the past 10 years I have conducted evaluative research and secondary data analysis in education simulation training methodologies, such as Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and High Fidelity Simulation (HFS), evaluating the effectiveness of these simulation methodologies in measuring human factors relating to clinical competencies. My research focus in simulation and has expanded into exploring methods to measure, acquire and store the kinematics and force trajectory during invasive procedures performed in medicine, such as neonatal intubation and resuscitation. The purpose of my research is to quantify medical procedural skill performance, which has materialized in the development and patent of the Instrumented Laryngoscope with haptic feedback. I have successfully recruited and developed an interdisciplinary research team, which includes Dr. John LaCourse, Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of New Hampshire a nationally known expert in biomedical engineering, who has active research and development projects in the areas of noninvasive instrumentation for the detection of carpal tunnel syndrome and other upper body musculoskeletal diseases, noninvasive detection methods for workplace disorders, electrosurgery, rehabilitation engineering, apnea prediction, and the determination of BPH. In addition, our research team provides educational research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate engineering and nursing students. I have established a collaborative research opportunity in improving simulation technology for neonatal resuscitation with Louis Halamak, the Director of the Fellowship Training Program in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Stanford and founder of the Center for Advanced Pediatric and Perinatal Education at Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. I have been a primary investigator of several research studies. In addition, I spearheaded the development of the IRB committee at Laboure College of Healthcare. Should you need further information, I am available by phone or email. In the meanwhile, I look forward to the opportunity to speak with you at your earliest convenience.

Highlights of my credentials and background include:

• Research partnership with Stanford University with Dr. Louis Halamek, MD, Professor of Pediatrics (Neonatology) and, by courtesy, of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Research studies in neonatal resuscitation.

• Mentored research student projects in physical therapy, mechanical and electrical engineering.

• Embedded evidence-based curriculum, expanding the program to include real-world know how and experience that supported all new graduated nurses entering the hospital.

• Mentor students, working extensively with the Exceptional Nurse Organization, a non-profit 501 (c) 3 resource network for inclusion of nursing students with disabilities.

• Developed pedagogical strategies, helping students apply critical judgment skills, as the Associate Dean of Nursing at Laboure College of Healthcare. Oversaw the Nursing program, ensuring continued adherence to ACEN requirements and coordinated clinical, simulations and skills lab for a diverse student population.

The focus of my academic career to date has been in turnaround strategies for underperforming programs and creating a framework that provides continuous improvement and regulatory compliance. As an Accreditation Commission in Nursing Reviewer, along with my strong foundation in nursing, I have improved program infrastructure and facilitated accreditation for programs that had been put on administrative warning with approval. Over the course of 25+ years, I have offered key contributions in program development including the Master’s Prelicensure Program, “Master’s Entry to Practice Learning” (MEPN) program at Franklin Pierce University. I authored the School of Business MSN/MBA degree and incorporated Health Administration certificates to the MEPN program and leadership programs. Additionally, I spearheaded expansion of the University Lab at Franklin Pierce University, integrating effective teaching strategies. More recently, I have executed transformational leadership at Laboure College of Healthcare, improving program infrastructure and elevating board score pass rates from 60% to 89%, 84% and on to date for Q4 the board score pass rates to date are at 98% for an annual NCLEX pass rate of 81%, which meets the benchmark for NCLEX.

Sincerely,

Paula L. Santana McWilliam, EdD, MSN, NNP