During her time in graduate school, Jill Pence knew that Samford was a special place and where she wanted to eventually work. She began teaching at Samford as an adjunct and then joined as full time faculty in 2008. Jill played an integral role in developing and implementing the undergraduate nursing simulation program during her first few years at Samford. Simulation soon became her passion leading her to her current position as executive director of the Simulation Center in the College of Health Sciences. She enjoys working with faculty from across the College of Health Sciences to develop exciting, new learning experiences for Samford students. Outside of work, Dr. Pence enjoys spending time and traveling with her family.

Degrees and Certifications

• EdD, Educational Leadership, University of Alabama
• MSN -  Nursing Education, Samford University
• BSN - Nursing, University of Southern Mississippi
• Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator, Society for Simulation in Healthcare
• Certified Nurse Educator, National League for Nursing

Involvement

• Society for Simulation in Healthcare
• Sigma Theta Tau
• National League for Nursing
• Hunter Street Baptist Church

Expertise

• Simulation in Healthcare
• Nursing Education

Recent Publications

• Pence, J. & Wood, F. (2018) Using computer adaptive quizzing as a tool for NCLEX success. Nursing Education Perspectives. May/June, 164-66.

Recent Presentations

• Bringing Practice to Life Using Interprofessional Simulation, [Podium presentation], CAE Regional Sim Day, Birmingham, AL
• Building a Simulation and Experiential Learning based IPE Program, [Podium presentation], Collaborating Across Borders, Banff Canada
• Peer Evaluation of Classroom Teaching Using the NLN Competencies for Nurse Educators, [Poster presentation], National League for Nursing, San Diego, CA
• Bringing Purpose to Interprofessional Education Through Disaster Simulation, [Poster Presentation], HPSN World, Jacksonville, FL.

Research Areas

• Interprofessional Simulation
• Adaptive Testing