Mrs. Cathie Hansen

Professor of Nursing

Spring, 2012
Cathie Hansen, RN, MSN
I began my career in nursing working as a Registered Nurse in the Operating Room, Pre-Op, and
Post-Op at Orlando Regional. During my 8 years of practice, I was fortunate to gain experience
in various areas of specialty units, including, Cardiovascular, Neurology, Orthopedics,
Gastrointestinal, Genitourinary, and the Reproductive System. Having worked in this area, I also
possess an extensive background in both Respiratory and Intravenous Therapy.
After having the opportunity to precept new surgical nurses, I discovered my passion for
teaching. This inspired me to pursue a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), so that I would be
able to work with nursing students pursuing their nursing education. I earned my MSN from the
University of Phoenix in 2003. Having started my teaching career at Valencia Community
College (VCC) in 2003, I have taught in many courses including Nursing 1, Nursing 2 and
Nursing 5, and serving as a course leader in Nursing 1 and Nursing 2.
During my tenure at VCC, I have been the recipient of the Grace Gillan Hanna Endowed Chair,
served on the Faculty Senate and Council. I am currently the Faculty Senate Past-President and
active in the Valencia Student Nurses Association.

Contact

West Campus
Building 1-224
(407) 582-1896
chansen3@valenciacollege.edu

Hours

Monday 0900-1200
Tuesday Clinical
Wednesday 1100-1200
Thursday 11:00 - 1300
Friday 0900-1000

Mrs. Hansen Teaching Philosophy: “Good teaching comes in different forms, but good teachers share one attribute: they are truly present in the classroom, genuinely engaged with their students and their subject” (Palmer, 1999). I believe the role of the teacher in the community is to be a model for success, both in and out of the classroom. It is my responsibility as their teacher to give my students’ the proper strategies it takes to make them successful. However, I believe it is the student’s responsibilities to be open to hard work and to learn to use their critical thinking skills. In nursing, it is vital that they learn critical thinking skills so they can become successful in test-taking, pass their state boards, and be the best nurses they can be. I feel the purpose of education is to give the students an idea about the many ways of viewing the world around them, and to supply the strategies necessary to function in today’s society. I consider the ultimate objective of education to be the students taking ownership of their learning, allowing them to become independent learners. Ideally, the end goal is for the students to develop a strong sense of responsibility and work effectively and respectfully with their peers in the discipline they have chosen.. I see my role as an educator partly to be the facilitator guiding the students toward accomplishing their educational goals through being a role model. I believe that formative assessment, learning strategies for the classroom and cooperative learning are effective. However, I also feel a critical part of being a successful teacher is having the students take ownership of their learning. The students are more successful when they take responsibility and accountability for their actions. As a teacher, I think there is one essential element of helping students learn; I must assess the level each student is at regarding his or her learning. The goal for the teacher is to quickly assess students and their skills. If we have students that have been in a technician position in the hospital, we know they have more knowledgeable background than someone that has never stepped foot in a hospital setting. I consider one of my goals as a teacher to be continually enhancing my teaching and learning strategies for the classroom, especially by encouraging small group exercises and by using a variety of assessment strategies such as quizzes, case studies, content review before tests and test reviews. My expectations are to be the best I can be during my career as an instructor. I want to know if I’m doing something right or wrong, and be able to remedy the situation the next time around. Sometimes we make mistakes, but hopefully we can bounce back and learn from our mishaps. I accept that being successful in life is hard work and I embrace the challenge this work will bring.