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  1. Home
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  4. Lisa Varenhorst
Lisa Varenhorst
Faculty
Instructor Nursing
Bio Image for Faculty Member Lisa Varenhorst

Contact Us

113 SF SEC
(605) 357-1539
(605) 782-3219
Lisa.Varenhorst@usd.edu

Graduated with my BSN in May 2005 from Morningside College. Earned my MSN from Walden University in 2011. I hold an advanced certification in Simulation the CHSE-A and was approved for a 3 year renewal valid until April 2023. Worked as a bedside NICU RN, as well as the NICU Clinical Nurse Educator prior to coming to USD Sioux Falls.

I really enjoy teaching in first semester, I take pride in the fact that I am one of the professors who set the tone for their next three semesters of nursing school. I enjoy utilizing a variety of learning techniques in the classroom in order to reach as many learners as possible. I am also passionate about simulation and working to bring relevant topics to the learners so they have a chance to practice and see a situation prior to having it happen with a real patient in the hospital. Simulation provides new nurses with experiences to pull from enabling them to recall what happened and what to do when those same situations present themselves in the hospital setting.

I am very interested in simulation research and how it can be utilized to further the learning, and possibly bridge the gap between the academic and hospital settings. I also have interest in looking into ways or tools/techniques to use to help alleviate some of the stress involved with first semester nursing students.

  • MS, Nursing, Walden University, 2011
  • BS, Nursing, Morningside College, 2005
  • Basic Life Support Instructor, American Heart Association
  • Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator - Advanced (CHSE-A), Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSIH)
  • Registered Nurse (RN), South Dakota Board of Nursing

Citations listed below are presented in a standardized, modified format for display purposes only. They do not necessarily reflect the preferred style and conventions of the faculty member or discipline.

  • Letcher, Deborah D., Roth, Shelly S., and Varenhorst, Lisa. Simulation-Based Learning: Improving Knowledge and Clinical Judgment Within the NICU, 284-290. Vol. 13, Iss. 6 Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 2017. (DOI: 10.1016/j.ecns.2017.03.001)
  • 2020 Excellence in Service - Faculty Nominated : Recipient, USD Nursing , 2020
  • Excellence in Clinical Teaching - Student Nomination - Nominee, USD Nursing Department, 2020
  • Student Nominated : Excellence in Caring 2020: Nominee, USD Nursing Deparment, 2020
  • Excellence in Clinical Teaching, The University of South Dakota Nursing, 2019
  • Yockey, Jean, Kleinhesselink, Anne, Pithan, Anne, Varenhorst, Lisa, and Hunsley, Amy, Pandemic Leadership: System-Level Success. Presented at the Avera EBP Conference, Sioux Falls, SD. (October 22, 2021)
  • Yockey, Jean, Kleinhesselink, Anne, Pithan, Anne, Varenhorst, Lisa, Smith, Emily, Luken, Regan, and Hunsley, Amy, Living Catastrophe Theory Leads to Future Improvements. Presented at the Nuts&Bolts for Nurse Educators Conference, Minineapolis, MN. (August 2020)
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