Faculty Biographical Sketches
Karen M. Daley, Department of Nursing
Dr. Karen M. Daley, joined WCSU Nursing faculty as an adjunct instructor in Spring of 2001, and then became full-time Assistant Professor in Nursing Department in Fall 2001. She received her BSN from Villanova University in 1982, MSN from Troy State University in 1996, and her PhD in Nursing at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in 2005. Her area of expertise is Medical Surgical Nursing. She served as a project coordinator and principal investigator in self-efficacy and breast cancer study. Her doctoral dissertation research encompassed decision-making in asthma. Her academic interests currently involve assessment of outcomes in nursing programs through standardized testing, and the fostering collegiality and caring between faculty and students. She is currently a member of the Eastern Nursing Research Society, and is actively involved in both the community and church organizations. In 2006 Dr. Daley was promoted to Associate Professor. She was subsequently awarded tenure in the Spring of 2007. Dr. Daley has spearheaded the implementation of human patient simulation throughout the curriculum and is primarily responsible for the acquisition of SimMan technology, the expansion and development of the Nursing Labs, the Nursing Resource Center, and the upgrade of resources for the Nursing Labs. As the chair of the Learning resources committee, Dr. Daley was able to acquire new lab space in Higgins Hall for an additional SimMan Lab, and Assessment Lab, a technology classroom and a Ped/ OB area with additional equipment. For the Fall of 2007, the addition of a new ICU lab is expected with grant funding. In addition, since Dr. Daley joined the faculty and began teaching the Nursing Practicum, the program has steadily increased the pass rate on the NCLEX exam, As of the Fall 2006, the program ahs achieved a 100% pass rate for 3 years in a row. Dr. Daley attributes the success of the program to a cohesive effort by all faculty at all levels, more stringent admission and progression standards, and access to better technology for testing and program assessment. Dr Daley completed a 5-year study of the predictors of NCLEX success in Fall 2006 and will utilize the information to further improve the capstone experience for the senior nursing students. In the Spring of 2006, Dr. Daley lead a group of Seniors on a trip the Ramstein AFB in Germany to observe the care of wounded soldiers. While in Germany, students learned about flight physiology, did a clinical rotation at Landstuhl Medical Center and were able to board planes as they arrived from Iraq, and as they prepared soldiers to return to the US. Dr. Daley also was responsible for co-founding the Nursing Alumni Society with Monica Perry (2006). She continues her work to reach out and develop the membership of the society. For the academic year 2007-2008, Dr. Daley will continue work to upgrade and integrate simulation into the nursing curriculum, continue to work training faculty in simulation-focused learning experiences in their classes, and develop the ICU simulation Nursing Lab. Dr. Daley is working with a university and community based group in developing a Community Report Card for the greater Danbury area.
