Meet the Faculty: Mary E. Dietmann

Clinical Associate Professor, First Professional Degree Program

SS: Please tell us a little about yourself and your professional background.

I always knew I wanted to be a nurse and, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) from the University of Bridgeport, I realized I loved teaching new nurses. As a clinical level 2 staff nurse on a cardiac step-down unit, I had the opportunity to mentor many new graduates. This led me to pursue a master’s degree in nursing (MSN), with a nursing education minor at Pace University in New York and broaden my clinical focus by working as a public health nurse. I became certified as a clinical specialist in adult health and licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse in Connecticut.

I began teaching full time in undergraduate programs—primarily first professional degree—but also in a registered nurse (RN) to BSN program. In 2015, I earned my doctorate in nursing education (EdD) from Southern Connecticut State University and focused my research on cancer survivorship. In 2017, an article based on my dissertation, “The Inclusion of the Care of the Cancer Survivor,” was published in the Journal of Cancer Education.

SS: What brought you to Sacred Heart University?

After completing my EdD, I was interested in growing in a new direction. It was important for me to choose a university with a mission that aligned with my nursing philosophy. SHU’s mission is consistent with my beliefs in nursing and education, recognizing the dignity and worth of all individuals and promoting truth and knowledge while striving for the common good of society. Working alongside many SHU graduates throughout my nursing career, I knew these were core values they learned at SHU.

SS: What would you say is your biggest accomplishment to date?

Completing my EdD while working full time and raising a family!

SS: Tell us about your role with the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

As an RN with the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing, I work with other board members reviewing health care complaints and issues related to impaired practitioners, nursing licensure and the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX®), in accordance with state statutes, regulations and public health codes. Our primary responsibility is to protect our citizens by establishing standards for safe nursing care, implementing and enforcing the Nurse Practice Act and complying with state laws.

SS: What advice and encouragement do you have for our students who are going to school while working on the front line during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Many of our students are in school full time and working on the front line with COVID patients. Patients and families will never forget the difference our students make each day. More people are relying on nurses as their primary source of comfort during this health crisis, and our students have stepped up to meet the challenge. They are truly living and representing our mission by recognizing the dignity and worth of every individual, serving the common good in every setting, while sharing truth and knowledge. I was in nursing school when AIDS was first identified in this country, and there was nothing we could do to save patients from dying for quite a while. Now, AIDS is treated as a chronic disease. We never heard of COVID-19 until 2020, and already we have treatments and vaccines—so there is hope!

SS: Tell us about your involvement with the Student Nurses Association.

I have the pleasure of serving as a Student Nurses Association (SNA) faculty advisor with my colleague, Professor Kim Foito. The SNA is a national organization for nursing students; all students are enrolled as members beginning freshman year, even before they begin taking nursing classes. This helps socialize them in the nursing community. The SNA promotes the development of skills, standards and ethics that are fundamental to nursing as a profession, and it fosters student participation in organizations that will be meaningful to them following graduation. Members can engage in research and submit resolutions on health policy and advocacy to the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA), and many students have presented posters at the NSNA annual conference.

Visit the SNA webpage for more information.