Thompson Earns High Honor from Council on Teaching - The University of Iowa College of Nursing

Thompson Earns High Honor from Council on Teaching

Ed Thompson, PhD, RN, CRNA, ARNP, FAAN has been selected by the Council on Teaching to receive the prestigious President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence.

Thompson has taught in the College of Nursing and the Carver College of Medicine since 1998, while also serving as director of the Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) anesthesia program. Under his leadership, the program has become recognized as one of the premier nurse anesthesia programs in the country.

Thompson has advanced nursing education nationally by serving as a member the American Association of Colleges of Nursing task force working to develop a Doctorate in Nursing Practice, a terminal practice degree in nursing, and he is bringing that national perspective to the development of such a program at Iowa. Thompson, who received the Collegiate Teaching Award in 1993, is known for setting high standards and challenging students to "be the best they can be."

To date, Thompson has guided almost 300 students to become nurse anesthetists, and all have passed their certification exam on the first try and with highly competitive scores. Many have garnered regional and national awards for their clinical research projects and writing. Colleagues say Thompson is equally effective in the classroom and clinical settings, and that he is as enthusiastic a mentor to junior faculty as he is to students. "It is because of him," says one former student, "that I can be proud of the University of Iowa, proud of my education, and still want to achieve more."

This is the second College of Nursing colleague to receive the Provost Award for Teaching Excellence. Dr. Leslie Marshall was a 2006 recipient.

"This pattern of success by College of Nursing faculty is a testament to the dedication we all have to enhancing the quality of education for our students," said Rita Frantz, PhD, RN, CWCN, FAAN, Chair of the Systems and Practice Area of Study in the UI College of Nursing. March 26, 2007