Dr. Karolyn Hanna, this year’s faculty lecturer of the year, will be discussing the history and challenges of nursing education in Santa Barbara at City College’s Annual Faculty Lecture on April 30 in the Sports Pavilion.
Taking the audience from the pioneers of nurse practitioners to the devoted individuals that serve our community today, Hanna will discuss the hardships and accomplishments Cottage Hospital and City College have overcome in the last 121 years of dedication.
Hanna has been a professor at City College for 29 years and a nurse practitioner for more than 40 years holding a master’s degree in nursing and a doctorate in education.
“It must be what Miss America feels like,” Hanna said.
The lecture is considered the college’s highest honor for its faculty members.
Hanna is a first-time winner of this award and has contributed to the college by serving multiple terms on the Academic Senate from 1989 to 2002 and has participated on various committees including the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission.
Jim Chesher, Philosophy professor and member of the Faculty Lecturer Committee said Hanna is held as one of the most honored faculty members to date. “She has had national recognition for her work and it is an honor in itself to have her address us,” Chescher said.
Nominated by co-workers, staff and students, Hanna will discuss the history of nursing education from the time of Florence Nightingale to its existing focus in the Santa Barbara area.
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Nursing education was operated exclusively by Cottage Hospital in the late 1950s and 60s before it shifted to our campus as a college major.
Hanna said that it was a way of upgrading the education process of becoming a nurse, and at first it was a really tough transition.
“A lot of times when one thing is fazed out there’s some people that aren’t as happy about it as other people are,” Hanna said. “But going through our program really transforms lives…students become self-confident, self-directed individuals who are great nurses.”
Reflecting on his past year in the AND Program, former student John Cobbs said, “I learned how to organize my life in general, becoming a more caring individual.”
“Hanna comes with a wealth of knowledge and provides a positive learning environment for nursing students,” Cobbs said.
Cottage Hospital has been a continuing supporter of the program in both the continuity of students and staff. For 10 years they have provided salaries for multiple nursing instructors and resources in the labs that are as “real life as possible,” Hanna said.
“When you talk about tight budget times, we are really fortunate because four staff positions are paid for by Cottage,” Hanna said.
But Hanna said that nursing education still faces challenges such as teaching in a classroom setting, the current financial climate, and the development of new technology practically every week.
“You’ve got to be a life-long, self-directed learner when you’re in nursing,” Hanna said.
Not only are the required math and science courses challenging but also the medical vocabulary is a whole new language in itself, presenting challenges for second language learns.
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In both the nursing and education realm, Hanna said that the relationships she has formed with students and patients make it hard to leave.
The 30th Annual Faculty Lecture titled “Legacy of Our Past and Challenges of the Future,” will be held at 2:30 p.m. on April 30 in the Sports Pavilion.
-Terra Inglis is a Journalism 101 student.

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