Rate My Professor Susan Edwards

Susan Edwards, MSN, RN, CHSE, PCCN, is Senior Lecturer-IB in the Department of Nursing and Director of the Resource and Simulation Center at Gonzaga University School of Health Sciences. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Eastern Washington University in 1984 and her Master of Science in Nursing Education from Gonzaga University in 2017. With over 35 years of clinical experience in critical care and cardiac care, Edwards applies her extensive background to develop high-level skills training and simulation activities for Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students. She is passionate about experiential learning through simulation and the cultivation of clinical reasoning skills. As a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE) and Progressive Care Certified Nurse (PCCN), she ensures that simulation experiences align with best practices in nursing education.

In her teaching roles, Edwards delivers the Resource Simulation Center (RSC) portions of key practicum courses, including NURS 315: Practicum I (assessing and promoting wellness), NURS 352: Practicum II (care within healthcare organizations), NURS 403: Practicum III (care for acute and chronic health alterations), NURS 468: Practicum IV (professional nursing role), and NURS 492: Clinical Update. She co-authored the 2022 publication 'Comparing the Learning Effectiveness of Three Virtual Simulation Tools With Nursing Students During the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic' in Clinical Simulation in Nursing (Volume 67, pages 18-23), alongside Martin Schiavenato, Jane Tiedt, and Joan Owens. Edwards has received the Teaching Excellence Award for Non-Tenure Track faculty in 2024 from Gonzaga University. She contributed to maintaining nursing education continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing simulation labs and adapting hands-on activities to online formats. Gonzaga University's Nursing program, represented by Edwards, was honored with the 2025 Healthy Work Environment Award from Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.