Berry College - School of Mathematical & Natural Sciences

Short Bio:
Dr. Roberts earned nursing degrees at the Associate (Mississippi State College for Women, 1973), Baccalaureate (Mississippi University for Women, 1975), and Master’s (Georgia State University, 1977) level, culminating with a doctoral degree in nursing administration and adult health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1990. Building on the experience of adult health and critical care, she began a career in nursing education as an Instructor of Nursing at Kennesaw Junior College when student enrollment was less than 2,000. After 30 years, the enrollment at Kennesaw State University (KSU) reached over 20,000 students and the School of Nursing (SON) had added a doctoral program in nursing. During the time at KSU, Dr. Roberts served in many capacities: Instructor to Professor of Nursing, Program Coordinator, Program Director, Department Chair, Assistant Dean of the SON, with her final position as the Associate Dean of the WellStar College of Health and Human Services. She served on the administrative team administrative for the three departments in the WellStar College (Nursing, Physical Education and Human Services).She served as a National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission (NLN-AC) site visitor and served a full three-year term on the NLN-AC Board of Review. During her career, she has been involved in the program development and advancement of an established associate degree nursing program, two new baccalaureate-nursing programs, and a graduate nursing program and participated in numerous accreditation visits from the NLN and the Collegiate Commission on Nursing Education (CCNE). She provided twenty years of service in support of the Georgia Nurses Association Southern Performance Assessment Center as a clinical associate for Excelsior College, Albany, New York. In addition, Dr. Roberts functioned as an independent nursing education consultant with Sylvia Rayfield and Associates. Dr. Roberts spent over twenty years conducting National Council Licensure Examination – Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) reviews for new graduates and conducting faculty development workshops on a variety of topics such as Test Item Construction, Improving NCLEX-RN Scores, Clinical Evaluation, and Preparation for an Accreditation Visit. Dr. Roberts served as an education consultant to Chattahoochee Technical College, Marietta, Georgia, in the development of the feasibility study and program proposal for a new Associate Degree Nursing Program, as well as the development and feasibility studies for new BSN programs at Shorter University and at Berry College in Rome, Georgia.

Education:

D.S.N., University of Alabama
A.D., Mississippi State College for Women
B.S., Mississippi University for Women
M.S., Georgia State University

Teaching Interest:

Research-Evidenced Based Practice
Leadership
Women' Health
Adult Health
Curriculum Foundations

Research Interest:

Program Satisfaction of the On-Line Registered Nurse Re-entry Program
When protocols are not enough: Intuition as Essential for Nurse Practitioners
Expert Nurse Practitioners Decision Making Processes
Program Evaluation: Meeting the Needs of Returning Nurses

Selected Publications:

Roberts, V., Brannan, J., White, A. (2005). Outcome Based Research: Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Online Nurse Refresher Course. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 36(5) Referred
White, A., Roberts, V., Brannan, J. (2003). Returning Nurses to the Workforce: Developing an Online Refresher Course. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing 34(2) Referred
Kosowski, M. & Roberts, V. (2003). When protocols are not enough: Intuitive Decision Making by Novice Nurse Practitioners. Journal of Holistic Nursing 21(1), 1-21. This research was partially funded by a scholar's grant from Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Mu Phi Chapter. Referred
Contributor-Nursing Made Insanely Easy. ICAN Publisher 2004, 2002, 2001, 1999, 1997, 1996
Roberts, V. (2002). New Man on Campus. PULSE. 13(2)14.
Roberts, V. (2002). Responding to a Code Blue: Forming community partnerships to help nurses return to the workforce. Advance for Nurses. 4(2), 33.
Roberts, V. (2001). Responding to Code Blue: Workforce in crisis, community partnerships returning nurses to the workforce. Georgia Nursing., November.
Roberts, V. (2001). Responding to Code Blue: Kennesaw State University helps nurses return to the workforce. PULSE. 2(11), 5.
Contributing Author. Pharmacology Made Insanely Easy. ICAN Publisher, 2001.
Roberts, V. (1999). Introduction to Gender Studies: A reader. Eds. G. Galliano & J. Wemmers. Kennesaw State University Press.
Roberts, V.W., Baylock, J.L. (1998). Returning Lost Resources: Reentry Program Evaluation. Unpublished manuscript.
Roberts, V.W. (et.al.) 1996. Vision for Nursing Education in Georgia. Unpublished manuscript. Submitted to the Chancellor of Board of Regents for Georgia.
Roberts, V.W., Bennett, D.N., & Perkins, J. (1994). Coping with declining resources and escalating enrollments: An alternate advisement strategy. Journal of Nursing Education 33(8), 376. Referred
Nursing Diagnosis Reference Manual. Contributing Author. Springhouse, 1991. Updated 1992. Updated 1997.
Nursing Diagnosis Reference Cards, Contributing Author. Springhouse, 1990.
Bennett, D., Chally, P., Dorman, G., Kosowski, M., Lewis-Lemar, T., Perkins, J., & Roberts, V. (1989). Initiating a Curriculum Revolution. Faculty development through a department conference, Reaching Through Teaching, 3(1), 2‑3.
Crutchfield, A., & Roberts, V. (1984). A Competency Based Curriculum: Process at Kennesaw College. Issues in Associate Degree Nursing, Southern Regional Education Board, 1984.