USU Eastern Press Release
Utah State University (USU) Eastern recently hired two new nursing faculty members. Jacque Ware and David McOmber are professional practice assistant professors, and Mireya Molinar is the new simulation and skills lab coordinator. In addition, Becky Varndell was promoted and is now the nursing program coordinator.
Ware has four and a half years of experience in nursing. Before coming to USU Eastern, Ware worked as a registered nurse and charge nurse for Castleview Hospital. Leveraging her experience, Ware hopes to “ensure that future nurses apply best practice standards in clinical settings by providing mentorship and guidance as their instructor.”
McOmber became a registered nurse in 1999. He earned his master’s degree and has worked as a nurse practitioner for the last 11 years. He has also worked as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Utah and taught first year nursing clinicals at Brigham Young University. He will continue to provide neurology services part time as a nurse practitioner. In his new role at USU Eastern, McOmber said, “I am excited to be here. I am attempting to transform the classroom by following a ‘flipped’ style of instruction. I hope to help each student build cognitive templates to gain more robust critical thinking, clinical reasoning and clinical judgement.”
Molinar earned her associate in nursing and became a registered nurse in 2017. She has worked in critical care settings specializing in emergency medicine. Recently, she worked in the emergency department at Castleview Hospital and a level 2 trauma center in Salt Lake City. She earned her bachelor’s in nursing in 2018. This will be her first time taking a teaching role in nursing. “I want to gear the students for success in a way that they feel confident to accurately and safely perform nursing skills. I want to ensure the students feel adequately prepared for working in healthcare.”
Varndell previously worked at USU Eastern as a professional practice assistant professor in the nursing program. She earned her nursing associate degree in 2008, her bachelor’s in 2012 and a master’s in nursing education in 2016. “I have grown in the program, I went through the changes in curriculum and understand how the department works. I have enjoyed having a larger body of nursing instructors whom I have been able to learn from by working here,” said Varndell.
Each are currently in their new roles now, mentoring and teaching USU Eastern nursing students.