Carolyn Kerns

Assistant Professor

Education

  • EdD, Instructional Leadership, The University of Alabama, 2023
  • MSN, Masters of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner, Clemson University, 2000
  • BS, Bachelor Science in Nursing, Bob Jones University, 1995

Biography

Dr. Kerns received her EdD in Instructional Leadership, Nurse Education concentration, from The University of Alabama, and her MS as a Family Nurse Practitioner from Clemson University. She obtained her Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) from the National League for Nursing.

Dr. Kerns taught undergraduate nursing for 20 years prior to joining the Capstone College of Nursing in 2023. Her clinical background is primarily in medical-surgical. She also has experience in industry, informatics, primary care, orthopedics, school nursing, pediatrics, and obstetrics. She has participated in international service-learning trips. She now teaches on the graduate level.

She is active in research, publications, and presentations. She chairs a college committee, has participated on various college and university committees, and has served as a volunteer in the community. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the National League for Nursing, the Alabama League for Nursing, and the Southern Nursing Research Society, of which she serves as co-chair of the Nursing Education Research Interest and Implementation Group.

Honors and Awards

  • Nominated by her students for the Sigma Theta Tau International Faculty Leadership Award, 2018

Areas of Interest

  • Technology
  • Nursing Education/Professional Development
  • Simulation
  • Clinical Practice

Scholarly Highlights

  • Barriers and facilitators experienced by prelicensure nursing faculty teaching clinical judgment: A qualitative study.
  • Coaching and evaluating new graduate nurses using a clinical judgment model and rubric.