Aspen invites you to meet our faculty — LouAnnie Godinez!
LouAnnie Godinez knew she wanted to be a nurse while serving as a medic in the Navy.
What is your name? LouAnnie Godinez MSN, RN
Where are you from? I was born in Brazil and moved to the United States with my mom and my brother when I was 10 years old. I currently live in Arizona but have lived in California, Washington, Illinois, and Florida.
Who lives at home with you? I live with my husband, who is a nursing adjunct faculty at Aspen University, my two boys, who are 4 and 6 years old, and my daughter, who is 13 years old.
What do you teach? I am currently teaching Maternal and Child Health, but have also taught Community Health and Fundamentals of Nursing courses for Aspen’s BSN Pre-Licensure program.
What do you do when you’re not teaching? When I am not teaching, I am spending time with my family, crafting, gardening, or going on family trips to the beach, anywhere outdoors, or camping.
What is your hidden talent? My hidden talent is dancing latin music. I can pretty much dance anything, even Samba.
What inspires you? I am inspired by helping people, to become a servant leader, and especially to help vulnerable populations. I love to help people learn how they can reach their goals, or help them learn how they can improve their current situation by sharing resources and ideas. I am also inspired when I am allowed to be creative.
What’s your professional and educational background? I started my career in the medical field in the United States Navy as a Hospital Corpsman (medic) and learned so much from that experience. After leaving the Navy, I worked for public health and community health in several areas, but mainly with children and pregnant women. I have also worked in the hospital in the emergency department, med-surg, and telemetry.
I got my Associates from MiraCosta College in Medical Assistant studies, my BSN from Grand Canyon University, and my MSN in Education from Chamberlain University. I am currently pursuing my doctorate in education (Ed.D) with a specialization in Healthcare Administration at Aspen University.
Share an “aha!” moment that you’ve had within your discipline that made you feel passionate about your field? When I was young, I always wanted to become a healthcare provider. It was in the Navy that I learned everything that the nurse does and was mentored by many nurses, and decided that it would be the ideal profession to pursue. Nurses truly help the whole person and their family. It is the greatest profession in the world.
How did you get your start in teaching? I started teaching while I was in the Navy as we did many health in-services for Marines and Sailors. Being a public health nurse also taught me how to implement and teach based on a curriculum to different people from various cultural backgrounds. I started teaching nursing in 2017 online at Grand Canyon University for the Public Health Nursing MSN program. Also, I worked as a pre-licensure clinical and didactic adjunct faculty at Chamberlain University.
Why did you decide to teach at Aspen? I started at Aspen because I heard about the innovative hybrid program for pre-licensure nursing that Anne Mcnamara started and because I also believe in graduating from college debt-free to help improve one’s life. My first position at Aspen was as an adjunct faculty for community health clinicals, and I absolutely loved the culture and the students that choose to attend Aspen University.
What should a student expect when enrolling in your course(s)? Students that enroll in my course should expect that I will hold them accountable, am fair, and expect them to become active learners, versus passive learners. I like to challenge them, to take them to the next level of learning, and to help build their professional skills and their passion for nursing.
What advice do you have for a student just starting at Aspen? My advice for a student just starting at Aspen is to expect to work hard, focus on time management and emotional intelligence. These personal skills are essential to succeeding in life, in nursing, and especially in nursing school.
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