VGCC Instructor hopes her story inspires students
Maria S. Orsini of Butner, an instructor for the Associate Degree Nursing program at Vance-Granville Community College, recently completed the Ed.D. (Doctorate in Education) program in Educational Leadership through the University of Phoenix. The road to her doctoral degree started at a community college not too different from the institution where she now teaches the next generation of nurses. Orsini recently spoke to students at Granville Central High School as part of a group of VGCC faculty who also represented the Radiography and Bioprocess Technology programs. Her message to young people is that, based on her own experience, “anything is possible with determination.”
Orsini grew up in poverty in Puerto Rico. In order to attend classes at a community college in the city of Bayamon, she walked two miles in the early morning each day to catch a crowded public van that had no air conditioning. Orsini excelled academically, earning scholarships that helped her transfer to earn bachelor’s degrees in biology and nursing at the University of Puerto Rico. “I went into nursing, and stayed in the field, out of compassion and love for those who cannot care for themselves and for those who can but need to learn how,” Orsini reflected. She came to North Carolina in 1996 while on active duty with the United States Public Health Service. Then, she had to overcome a new challenge: becoming fluent in English. “All through these situations, I never complained, because I knew that all the sweat, coping, and determination would take me to a happy and productive place,” Orsini said. She worked in the nursing profession for eight years (including as a mental health nurse at the Federal Medical Center in Butner), while also earning a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix. Orsini has taught at VGCC since 2002. She was chosen as the college’s Faculty Member of the Year in 2008 and received the Robert W. Scott Award from the North Carolina Associate Degree Nursing Council in 2011. Recognized as one of the college’s leaders in high-tech instruction, Orsini was the first VGCC Nursing instructor to teach online courses. She was part of a team of VGCC instructors that received two “Technology Integration Program for Nursing Education and Practice” (TIP-NEP) grants from the Duke University School of Nursing. The topic of Orsini’s doctoral dissertation was using electronic health records with clinical decision support to decrease the amount of medication errors. “I believe that teachers need to develop innovative curriculums, including using electronic health records in the classroom, simulations, and clinical training,” Orsini said.
Outside of the classroom, Orsini has been involved with Carolina Donor Services, Parents as Teachers and the Youth Alcohol Prevention program in Granville County. She also serves as a translator for students at Creedmoor Elementary School. Orsini is a member of the American Nurses Association, the North Carolina Nurses Association and the American Medical Informatics Association.
Above: VGCC Nursing instructor Dr. Maria Orsini talks about education and allied health careers to students at Granville Central High School in May 2012. (VGCC photo)
