Rebecca Long

Year Graduated: 1992

Major: Critical Care Nurse Specialist

Job Title: Nurse Practitioner, VA Healthcare System of San Diego/ Retired March 31, 2020

Rebecca’s graduate degree as a critical care clinical nurse specialist (CNS) prepared her to have a sense of the impact it would have on the healthcare system, as well as the broader community. At SDSU, she had clinical practicums with critical care experts throughout the community. Although her degree supported her growth in advanced clinical knowledge, which included the pulmonary system, it enhanced her understanding of systems of care. Having both the knowledge and systems view, supports her to now use both as an educator to prepare our nursing workforce.

Her CNS colleagues met with their leadership team to construct all-day trainings to prepare hundreds of outpatient and specialty nurses, such as clinic nurses and case managers to deliver acute care in the medical surgical units. They worked after hours and on weekends to make this happen with less than a week’s notice. Additional day-long classes are being provided for current acute care nurses that have critical care experience, to support their readiness to move into the intensive care unit (ICU).