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

Involvement

• Society for Simulation in Healthcare
  - Accreditation Site Visitor
  - Director’s Section
• Sigma Theta Tau
• National League for Nursing
• Meadowbrook Church

Expertise

• Simulation in Healthcare
• Nursing Education

Recent Publications

• Baker, L., Roberson, J., Pence, J. (2024). The effectiveness of simulation for teaching disaster mental health. Journal of Social Work Education.

• Ashe, S., Barthlow, M., Pence, J. (2023). Attitudes of health profession faculty involved in a simulation-based interprofessional education experience. Clinical Simulation in Nursing (84), 101454. 

• Pence, J., Ashe, S., Adunlin, G. & Beall, J. (2022) A comparison of nursing and pharmacy students’ perceptions of an acute care simulation. Healthcare (10), 715-723. 

• Pence, J. & Wood, F. (2018) Using computer adaptive quizzing as a tool for NCLEX success. Nursing Education Perspectives. May/June, 164-66. doi: 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000289

• Baker, L., Roberson, J., Pence, J. (2024). The effectiveness of simulation for teaching disaster mental health. Journal of Social Work Education.

Recent Presentations

• 2024: Wallace State Community College Simulation Workshop, Poster Presentation: Preparing Faculty in Simulation: A Faculty Orientation Course. Hanceville, AL

• 2024: IMSH 2024 Workshop Presentation, Utilizing Wearable Assessment Technology for Enhanced Simulation, San Diego, CA

• 2024: IMSH 2024 Panel Presentation, Exploring Accreditation: A Discussion Among Distinct Programs, San Diego, CA

• 2023: Samford University Faculty Connect presentation: Debriefing and Reflective Learning: Keys to Effective Experiential Education, Birmingham, AL

• 2023: IMSH 2023 Workshop: Listen and Learn: Including Assessment Devices in Simulated Telehealth Visits, Orlando, FL

• 2023: IMSH 2023 Hot topic presentation: Everyone All In: A Hybrid Disaster Preparedness Simulation, Orlando, FL

• 2023: IMSH 2023 Hot topic presentation: Sim Must Go On! Keeping Online/Virtual Simulation Going Strong, Orlando, FL

• 2022: IMSH 2022 Hot topic presentation: Sim Must Go On! Keeping Online/Virtual Simulation Going Strong, Los Angeles, CA. (postponed to 2023 due to Covid-19)

• 2022: Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association Poster Presentation: A Telehealth Interview: A Novel Pedagogical Intraprofessional Education Opportunity for Doctor of Physical Therapy Students, San Antonio, TX

Research Areas

• Healthcare Simulation
• Interprofessional Simulation