Dr. Jenna Hesse is an Assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Nursing in the Northern Division. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bryan College of Health Sciences in 2014. Dr. Hesse began her career as a Registered Nurse on Bryan Health’s Pediatric Unit and spent the majority of her clinical practice as a Charge Nurse on the Women and Children’s Unit at Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk, Nebraska, caring for Antepartum, Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, NICU, and Pediatric patients. She completed her Master of Science in Nursing: Nurse Educator degree in 2022 and earned her Doctor of Education in Leadership in Healthcare from Nebraska Methodist College in 2025. Dr. Hesse specializes in simulation-based nursing education, with a focus on integrating high-fidelity simulation, immersive virtual reality, and AI-enhanced learning to strengthen students’ therapeutic communication, clinical reasoning, safety, and core nursing skills. Her scholarly work centers on innovative teaching strategies and the use of emerging technologies to advance nursing education. She is passionate about preparing future nurses through engaging, evidence-based learning experiences.