Nursing
- Faculty Profile - Jean Smucker Rodgers
 Jean Smucker Rodgers
Nursing instructor
620-327-8136
jeanr@hesston.edu
B.S., Goshen (Ind.) College, 1968
M.N., Wichita (Kan.) State University, 1980
How did you choose to study nursing?
After I worked as a nurse aide in high school, I began to be interested in nursing. I wasn't sure what area I wanted to study in college but I decided on nursing from among English, home economic, and nursing. Even then teaching seemed to be a big interest for me.
What are your favorite courses to teach?
I like to teach classes that also have hospital clinical experience with the classroom learning. Mental Health Nursing is one of my favorites.
What do you like about them?
Teaching students in the clinical area gives the opportunity to teach and to learn to know the students as individuals.
How does your background and educational experience shape your teaching at Hesston?
I worked for five years as a nurse in various clinical settings. (I have worked as a registered nurse in the hospital, nursing home, and clinic during the years I was also teaching at Hesston College). I enjoyed being a nurse but I experienced a renewed sense of profession when I began teaching nursing. Studying for a master in nursing and taking post-graduate courses at Wichita State University during a sabbatical gave me new knowledge and inspiration for nursing and nursing education.
What do you most want to know about prospective students?
Their interests and experiences. What inspires them to their interest in a career in nursing?
How do you connect with students in the program?
I like to interact with students outside of class, in the hallway, to ask about their lives and interests. My office door is usually open and I am available for students to come in and talk.
What do prospective students need to know about Hesston’s learning environment?
The faculty and staff are supportive of students at Hesston College. We want to assist them to learn and to grow in knowledge, abilities, and attitudes. Becoming acquainted and working alongside other students is a bonus for nursing students. The nursing faculty want to assist students to become great nurses.
Where do alumni go and what do they do after Hesston?
Most nursing students begin working in hospitals or clinics as registered nurses. Students continue to study for bachelor's degrees in nursing or further degrees after they leave Hesston College.
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