Melanie  Henningsen
Standardized Patient Educator and Coordinator, Instructor
College of Health Sciences
Experiential Learning and Simulation Center
1311 CHS Building 1
mawise@samford.edu
205-726-4665

Melanie Wise Henningsen received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Samford University in 2001 and began her nursing career as an emergency room/trauma nurse in Birmingham, Alabama. In 2005, Henningsen became a part-time clinical instructor where she developed a love for education and development of future nurses. She became a full-time Samford University employee in August 2013 as the undergraduate clinical coordinator. Through her desire for students to gain confidence prior to entering a clinical setting and to be an encouragement that reflects that nursing is an attainable and rewarding profession when hard work and dedication are applied, she decided to complete her master's in nursing education at Samford. She completed her graduate studies in May 2016 and currently serves as an instructor in the Ida Moffett School of Nursing and as the coordinator for the simulation center specifically with the standardized patient program. 

Degrees and Certifications

  • M.S.N., Ida Moffett School of Nursing, Samford University
  • B.S.N., Ida Moffett School of Nursing, Samford University

Expertise

  • Emergency nursing
  • Trauma
  • Disaster preparedness and planning
  • Standardized patient program
  • Simulation in health professions

Awards and Honors

  • Francis Marlin Mann Award for Leadership and Character, 2015
  • Alabama Board of NUrsing Graduate Scholarship, 2014 and 2015
  • Ida V. Moffett Caring Scholarship Award, 2001

Involvement

  • International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning
  • Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, Gamma Eta Chapter, Samford University
  • American Association of Colleges of Nursing Graduate Academy