Susan Hayden

Contributing Faculty
College of Nursing
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Susan Hayden has been a nurse since 1974, beginning with a diploma in nursing. Her clinical practice expanded over 40 years to include Pediatrics, Newborn nursery, ICU/CCU, ED, burns, med surg, school, industrial, home health, hospice.
Susan went on and earned a BS in Community Health Education, a BSN, a Masters with Education as the concentration, a post-Masters in Community Health Nursing, and a PhD from Loyola University, Chicago.
Susan began teaching in 1990 in an LPN program at Wallace Community College, in Dothan, AL where she was responsible for the whole curriculum during her time there (first semester students for 8 years and second for 2); moved to a BSN program at Troy University where she began in Fundamentals and Pathophysiology and moving into Research and Community Health Nursing with other assignments as needed. After obtaining her PhD, Susan began teaching in the Masters program at University of South Alabama along with Fundamentals (coordinator), medical terminology, clinicals (coordinator) and Research along with the Honors program. In the Masters program, Susan taught theory (coordinator), health assessment, nursing roles, research, health care policy and economics, and nurse educator. At the DNP level, Susan coordinated evidence based practice and theory and taught leadership, translating evidence, clinical prevention and population health, and program evaluation and clinical outcomes.
Susan has taught for Walden University since 2016. Courses she has taught at Walden include Best Practices in Nursing, Evidence Based Practice, DNP Project, Project Mentoring, and Project Completion. Susan has chaired more than 20 DNP projects and served on committees of more than 30 DNP and PhD student committees.

Education

Diploma, Mercy Hospital, Portland, Maine

BS, University of Maine, Farmington, ME

MS, Troy State University, Troy, AL

PhD, Loyola Chicago

Public Service

Sigma Theta Tau, Chair - Mobile

Catholic Heart Work Camp, Volunteer - Ozark

Publications

Dearmon, V., Graves, R. J., Hayden, S., Mulekar, M. S., Lawrence, S., Jones, L., Smith, K. K., Farmer, J. E. (2013). The Effectiveness of a simulation-based orientation on knowledge acquisition, anxiety, and self-confidence in baccalaureate nursing students preparing for the first clinical experience. Journal of Nursing Education

Devon, H. A., Block, M. E., Moyle-Wright, P., Ernst, D. M., Hayden, S., Lazzara, D. J., Kostas-Polston, E. (2007). A psychometric toolbox for testing validity and reliability. Journal of Nursing Scholarship

Presentations

Hayden, S. (2019). What happened to patient education?. Alabama State Nurses' Association