This September, the School of Nursing welcomed Roxanne Spurlark as the Assistant Director of the Master’s Entry to Nursing Practice (MENP) program at the Rosalind Franklin site.
“I find it an honor and a privilege to serve as the newly appointed Assistant Director,” says Spurlark, who brings with her a wide variety of experience ranging from pediatrics with specialty services to emergency and critical care. Spurlark is a doctoral-prepared Family Nurse Practitioner with experience in both direct and indirect care.
Despite her new appointment, Spurlark is no stranger to DePaul. She has taught both clinical and didactic courses for the MENP program for the last two and a half years. “Serving in the role as Assistant Director feels natural for me,” she says, recalling her teaching experience. Spurlark has also held a number of positions in leadership across multiple organizations both inside and outside of nursing. She has worked with Advocate Healthcare System, both as a House Administrator and Manager of Clinical Operations for Emergency Services. She also served as the opening Clinical Manager for the 84 million dollar program for the Cook County Health System inside the Department of Corrections Residential and Treatment Unit.
Dr. Spurlark moved diligently through the ranks in health care, earning the privileges of Certified Nursing Assistant, Licensed Practical Nurse and then earning an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from the City Colleges of Chicago sectors. She obtained her Bachelor’s of Science with a major in Nursing and a Master’s of Science degree with a focus in Family Nurse Practitioner from Governors State University. Finally, she received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Chamberlain University with a focus in Healthcare Systems Leadership in August of 2017. Along with her new appointment as Assistant Director of MENP at Rosalind Franklin, Roxanne Spurlark is also our newest tenure track faculty member.
“The future of nursing is dependent upon our ability to transform education,” Spurlark says in regards to Nursing Academia. “The future of nursing demands competent nurses that will shape an environment that is focused on teamwork, evidence-based care, and promoting nurses as equal partners on a healthcare team. DePaul University captures the essence of service in the Vincentian quotes, ‘what must be done?’”
When speaking about her future plans for the Rosalind Franklin site, Spurlark expresses that she would like to strengthen what has already been established and build a foundation for nursing presence in the sense of nursing as an art. “This will be done by providing support to the existing culture to assure that all involved feel that they are validated in both the way we teach and the way we learn.”
The School of Nursing is happy to welcome Roxanne Spurlark to our team in her new capacity, and look forward to what she will not only bring to the classroom, but to the Rosalind Franklin site.