Charlene Smith

A registered professional nurse since 1976, Dr. Char Smith had positions as a staff nurse, charge nurse, nursing supervisor, school nurse, and clinical care manager. Since 1989, Dr. Smith worked as a nurse educator in both practice and academic settings. Prior to coming to the Wegmans School of Nursing (WSON) at St. John Fisher University (SJF), she was the director of Professional Practice and Development at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), Highland Hospital in Rochester, NY. Dr. Smith also worked per diem at the URMC, Strong Memorial Hospital in the Center for Nursing Professional Development. In the past, she taught at the University of Rochester School of Nursing and was an adjunct clinical instructor in Obstetrics at SJF and SUNY College at Brockport. She is a tenured professor and a former undergraduate chair and co-chair at the WSON with current and past teaching responsibilities in the baccalaureate, RN to BSN online, master's in nursing education, and doctoral-level nursing programs.

Dr. Smith has presented regionally, nationally, and internationally, and consulted on topics related to educational design, competency assessment, program and project management, and online learning. Current presentations 2015 to present include:

• Organizational alignment and program/project development, Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) Leadership Academy (Webinar, invited), 10 May 2022. Co-presented with K. Schmidt.
• Trailblaze through project management, organizational change, and innovation, Association for Nursing Professional Development, San Antonio, TX (Podium presentation, contributor), 24 March 2022. Co-presented with K. Schmidt.
• Organizational alignment and program/project development, Association for Nursing Professional Development Leadership Academy (Webinar, invited), 19 May 2021. Co-presented with K. Schmidt.
• Program and project planning for the NPD leader, Association for Nursing Professional Development Leadership Academy 9Podcast, invited), 2021.
• Organizational alignment and program/project development. Association for Nursing Professional Development Leadership Academy (Webinar, invited), 14 May 2020. Co-presented with K. Schmidt.
• Classroom management and managing disruptive behavior, Association for Nursing Professional Development (Webinar, invited), 1 October 2019.
• Organizational alignment and program/project development, Association for Nursing Professional Development Leadership Academy (Webinar, invited), 22 May 2019. Co-presented with K. Schmidt.
• Leading educational innovation: Team-based learning, Association for Nursing Professional Development Annual Convention, Phoenix, AZ (Podium presentation, contributor), 4 April 2019.
• Organizational alignment and program/project development, Association for Nursing Professional Development Leadership Academy (Webinar, invited), 13 September 2018. Co-presented with K. Schmidt.
• Program and project management skills for organizational innovation, Association for Nursing Professional Development - Houston Affiliate, Houston, TX (Workshop presentation, invited), 20 April 2018.
• Fireside Chat: Program and project management, Association for Nursing Professional Development (Webinar, invited), 7 February 2018.
• Leadership – Calling all nurses, Delta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society, St. John Fisher University, Rochester, NY. (Keynote, invited), 10 November 2017.
• Organizational alignment and program/project development, Association for Nursing Professional Development Leadership Academy (Webinar, invited), September 2017. Co-presented with K. Schmidt.
• Program and project management skills for organizational innovation, Association for Nursing Professional Development Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA. (Pre-conference workshop, invited), July 2017.
• Association for Nursing Professional Development: Nursing professional development certification preparation course (Workshop presentation, invited), Pinnacle Health, Harrisburg, PA., 27-28 March 2017.
• Leadership in nursing professional development, New York Organization of Nurse Executives & Leaders 2017 Annual Leadership Conference (Presentation, invited), Tarrytown, NY, 20 March 2017.
• Leadership in nursing professional development, Finger Lakes Organization of Nurse Executives and Leaders, Rochester, NY (Presentation, invited), 18 January 2017.
• Association for Nursing Professional Development: Nursing professional development certification preparation course, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA (Workshop presentation, invited), 1-2 December 2016.
• Assertiveness: A matter of choice, Academy for Leadership in Long Term Care, Nurses Networking Event, Rochester, NY (Presentation, invited), 3 November 2016.
• Association for Nursing Professional Development: Nursing professional development certification preparation course, University of Rochester Medical Center: Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, NY (Workshop presentation, invited), 11-12 October 2016.
• Conflict resolution or solution?, Academy for Leadership in Long Term Care, Nurses Networking Event, Rochester, NY. (Presentation, invited), 25 August 2016.
• The NPD: Scope and Standards of Practice Applied to NPD Leadership, Association for Nursing Professional Development Annual Convention, Pittsburgh, PA., 22 July 2016.
• The flipped classroom in nursing professional development. Organization of Healthcare Educators (OHE), Los Angeles, CA (Workshop presentation, invited), 17 June 2016.
• Finding your courageous voice, The Greater Rochester Area Finger Lakes Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses: Linkages Courageous Care, Rochester, NY. (Keynote presentation, invited), 16 April 2016.
• Leading the way with interprofessional education and TeamSTEPPS®: An academic-practice application, NYONEL Annual Leadership Conference: Integrated Voices Shaping the Future of Healthcare, Tarrytown, NY (Podium presentation, contributor), 11 April 2016. Co-presented with K. Abraham, K. Parker.
• Integration of interprofessional education to support teamwork, communication, and collaboration in nursing and pharmacy., 35th Annual International Nursing & Midwifery Research & Education Conference, Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin, Ireland (Podium presentation, contributor), 3 March 2016. Co-presented with K. Abraham, K. Parker. (Awarded Best International Presentation).
• Association for Nursing Professional Development: Nursing professional development certification preparation course, Virtua Health, Inc.: Mount Laurel, NJ (Workshop presentation, invited), 11-12 September 2015.
• Project management for the nurse educator, Mayo Clinic Nurse Educators, Rochester, MN (Workshop, invited), 28 August 2015. 
• The flipped classroom in nursing professional development, Association for Nursing Professional Development Annual Convention, Las Vegas, NV (Podium presentation, contributor), 15 July 2015.
• Excel at program and project management for organizational innovation, Association for Nursing Professional Development Annual Convention, Las Vegas, NV (Pre-conference workshop, invited), 14 July 2015.
• Teamwork and collaboration: Integration of interprofessional education across pharmacy and nursing curricula, QSEN National Forum, San Diego, CA (Podium presentation, contributor), 27 May 2015. Co-presented with K. Abraham, K. Parker.
• Mapping a project plan, Association for Nursing Professional Development (Webinar, invited), 13 May 2015.

Dr. Smith’s research interests and publications in refereed journals include topics primarily related to evidence-based education, nursing professional development, leadership, and online learning. Current peer-reviewed articles, online modules, and blog post from 2015 to present include:

• Nursing professional development practitioners in leadership roles: Leading academic-practice partnerships, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 36(2), 99-103, 2020. Co-authored with E. Kiss, A. Simpson.
• Program and project management Module I: Project life cycle phases in ANPD Online Nursing Professional Development Certification Preparation Course, Chicago, IL: Association for Nursing Professional Development (Online module, invited), 2019.
• Program and project management Module II: Tools in ANPD Nursing Professional Development Online Certification Preparation Course, Chicago, IL: Association for Nursing Professional Development (Online module, invited), 2019.
• Preparing nurse leaders in NPD: Educational technology resources, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 35(5), 281-285, 2019. Co-authored with J. Weinschreider, K.M. Sabourin.
• Preparing nurse leaders in nursing professional development: Quality improvement in nursing professional development, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 35(4), 222-224, 2019. Co-authored with S. Johnson.
• Preparing nurse leaders in nursing professional development: Project planning and management, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 35(3), 160-162, 2019. Co-authored with S. Johnson.
• The evolution from staff development to nursing professional development and continuing professional development, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 35(2), 104-106, 2019. Co-authored with S. Johnson.
• Preparing nurse leaders in nursing professional development: Human resource management, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 34(6), 332-335, 2018. Co-authored with E. Kiss.
• Preparing nurse leaders in nursing professional development: Developing an NPD Department Plan, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 34(5), 283-285, 2018. Co-authored with S. Johnson.
• Preparing nurse leaders in nursing professional development: Legal & ethical issues for NPD leaders, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 34(4), 226-227, 2018. Co-authored with S. Johnson.
• Preparing nurse leaders in nursing professional development: Leadership programs, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 34(3), 158-161, 2018. Co-authored with S. Johnson.
• Preparing nurse leaders in nursing professional development: Management and leadership skills, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 34(2), 99-100, 2018. Co-authored with S. Johnson.
• Preparing nurse leaders in nursing professional development: Theories applied to leadership in nursing professional development, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 34(1), 38-40, 2018. Co-authored with S. Johnson.
• Preparing nursing professional development practitioners in their pivotal leadership role, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 33(6), 316-317, 2017. Co-authored with S. Johnson.
• Creating a nurse-led culture to minimize horizontal violence in the acute care setting: A multi-dimensional approach, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 32 (2), 56-63, 2016. Co-authored with K. Parker, A. Harrington, K. Sellers, L. Millenbach.
• Comparison of online and traditional basic life support training methods for registered professional nurses, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 31(6), E1-10, 2015. Co-authored with T. Serwetnyk, K. Filmore, S. VonBacho, R. Cole, C. Miterko, C.M. Smith.
• Ask an Expert: Lead and do not follow, Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 31 (5), 309-10, 2015.
• Comparing professional values and authentic leadership dimensions in the socialization of baccalaureate nursing students: A longitudinal study, Journal of Nursing Education, 54(6), 339-42, 2015. Co-authored with K. Dever, T. Roman, N. Bowllan, M. Dollinger, B. Blain.
• Creating a sustainable interprofessional team training program: Initial results, Clinical Nurse Specialist, 29(3), 147-55, 2015. Co-authored with V. Riggall.
• Patient safety and team collaboration competencies in nursing curricula, Faculty Preparation Program, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's New Jersey Nursing Initiative (Online module, invited), 2015.

Dr. Smith is a past member of the National Faculty for the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) responsible for assisting to prepare the curriculum and teaching the certification preparation course for the ANPD. In 2014, the ANPD Board of Directors selected her as the co-editor of the inaugural textbook, Smith, C. M., & Harper, M. G. (Eds.). (2016). Leadership in Nursing Professional Development: An organizational and system focus. Association for Nursing Professional Development. In addition, she co-authored four chapters in the textbook. A chapter author for the first edition (1995) of the Core Curriculum for Staff Development on consulting in staff development, she also authored a chapter in the fourth edition (2013) of the Core Curriculum for Nursing Professional Development on teaching/learning methodologies. Dr. Smith contributed to two textbooks awarded the American Journal of Nursing, Book of the Year Award for Nursing Education: T. Bristol and J. Zerwekh (Eds.). Essentials of e-Learning for Nurse Educators in 2011 and D. Billings (Ed.) Conversations in e-Learning in 2004. Current book chapters from 2015 to present include:

• Program and project management. In M. G. Harper (Ed.). Leadership in nursing professional development: An organizational and system focus (2nd ed.), Association for Nursing Professional Development, 2021 (In review). Co-authored with K. Schmidt.
• Program and project management. In Nursing professional development certification preparation course: Module VII, Association for Nursing Professional Development, 2017.
• Leadership in practice. In C. M. Smith & M. G. Harper (Eds.). Leadership in nursing professional development: An organizational and system focus (pp. 36-55). Association for Nursing Professional Development, 2016. Co-authored with M.G. Harper, K. Reilly.
• Managing human resources. In C. M. Smith & M. G. Harper (Eds.). Leadership in nursing professional development: An organizational and system focus (pp. 134-168), Association for Nursing Professional Development, 2016. Co-authored with P. Allard, M.G. Harper.
• Program and project management. In C. M. Smith & M. G. Harper (Eds.). Leadership in nursing professional development: An organizational and system focus (pp. 218-255), Association for Nursing Professional Development, 2016. Co-authored with L. Casao.
• Academic-practice partnerships. In C. M. Smith & M. G. Harper (Eds.). Leadership in nursing professional development: An organizational and system focus (pp. 278-310), Association for Nursing Professional Development, 2016. Co-authored with L. Dahlman.

Dr. Smith is board certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center in nursing professional development and the National League for Nursing as a Certified Nurse Educator. In 2013, the National League of Nursing inducted her as a Fellow into the Academy of Nursing Education. Dr. Smith is a past recipient of the National Nursing Staff Development Organization's (NNSDO) Research Grant Award for her research comparing instructional design strategies for an online continuing education program on pain management for nurses.

In 2016, Dr. Smith received the St. John Fisher University Trustees' Award for Distinguished Scholarly Achievement. This award is the highest honor that the Board of Trustees can bestow on a faculty member, second only to an honorary degree. The award is given to a full-time faculty member each year in recognition of outstanding scholarly work, ranging from writing books and articles to presenting papers at professional conferences. In 2019, she received the St. John Fisher University’s Dr. Mark Szarejko Information Literacy Award.

A member of the Association for Nursing Professional Development (formally NNSDO) since 1991, she holds additional professional memberships in Sigma Theta Tau International, National League for Nursing, American Nurses Association, and American Nurses Association - NY.