Assistant Dean for Accreditation & Evaluation, Associate Professor
Education
Biography
Dr. Sara Kaylor received her BSN from The Capstone College of Nursing in 2005, and her MSN from UA in 2011 with a Rural Case Management focus. She completed her doctoral degree in Instructional Leadership for Nurse Educators at The University of Alabama in 2012.
Dr. Kaylor’s clinical background includes years of experience as a trauma/surgical critical care nurse. She joined the faculty CCN full-time in 2009, and since then, her areas of teaching expertise have included undergraduate Health Assessment, Fundamentals, and Pharmacology courses, as well as graduate-level Nurse Educator courses.
Dr. Kaylor’s research interest centers on competency-based education, curriculum design, and evaluation, with a primary focus on integrating social and structural determinants of health (SSDH) into nursing education. Her scholarly efforts reflect a commitment to advancing education strategies that foster competency development, including community-engaged learning with rural health populations. Her work also extends into explorations on the intersection of health and wellness behaviors in shaping healthy living, learning, and work environments. She has numerous publication and presentation experiences related to these areas at the regional, national, and international levels.
Dr. Kaylor is a past Scholar (2022-2023) in the inaugural cohort of the Social Determinants of Health and Social Policy Change Leadership Academy, sponsored by the National League for Nursing and Walden University. In addition to the NLN and Sigma Theta Tau, she maintains active membership in relevant professional organizations, including Alabama Rural Health Association, Southern Nursing Research Society, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, the Alabama League for Nursing, and Alabama State Nurses Association.
Dr. Kaylor is an NLN Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) and currently serves as a Program Evaluator Team Leader for the NLN Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA), completing 2-3 accreditation site visits per year.