Biography

Dr. Carithers joined the College in 2017 as the Assistant Dean for the Kearney Division. Prior to moving to Nebraska, she has served as a Nurse Practitioner Program Director and DNP Program Director. She has practiced in several clinical areas that include pediatric intensive care, acute care, and primary care; parenting skills coordinator; and mother-baby home health. In addition to serving the pediatric population, she has practiced as an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in the inpatient and outpatient setting and as a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE). Dr. Carithers teaches in the graduate program and serves as a DNP project advisor for students in central Nebraska and surrounding communities. She is passionate about interprofessional education and collaborative practice and workforce development including diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has been in academia since 2002 and enjoys teaching and mentoring students and facilitating faculty and staff development.

Research

Research Interests

• Belongingness
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Health Promotion
• Interprofessional education
• Workforce development

Grant Support (Previous 5 years)

February 2021-March 2022
Educating Nurses to Practice at their Scope in Telehealth Care Delivery, USDA Grant; $350,000, Carithers, C. (P.I.)

January 2020-December 2020
Building Capacity Towards a Culture of Inclusive Excellence. UNMC Inclusive Excellence Development Grant. $3,000.00; PI: Carithers, C. (P.I.)

January 2019
UNMC Faculty Diversity Grant. $100,000; Carithers, C. (Co-PI)

July 2019-June 2022
Activating Veterans: The Call to Primary Care Nursing. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); $1,364,702; Carithers, C. (Co-PI)

January 2018–December 2020
Global Grant GG1861258: Medical Equipment and Training Through a Vocational Training Team for Improved Maternal and Child Health Care in Kakamega County, Kenya. Rotary International; $136,454.00; Vocational Training Team Member

Publications

2016 Bunch, M. A., Leasure, R., Carithers, C., Burnette, Jr., R., & Berryman, Sr., M. Implementation of a rapid chest pain protocol in the Emergency Department: A quality improvement project. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 28(2), 75-83. DOI: 10.1002/2327-6924.12260

2015 Gore, A., Leasure, A. R., Carithers, C., & Miller, B. Integrating hand-off communication into undergraduate nursing clinical courses. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 5(4), 70-76. DOI: 10.5430/jnep.v5n4p70

2014 Bunch, M. A., Carithers, C. & Leasure, R. Use of a ninety-minute protocol to evaluate patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain: A case study. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 33(4), 194-200.

2014 McCleary-Jones, V., Smith, P., Carithers, C., Craft, M., Forsythe, L., Kupperschmidt, B. … Weatherby, F. (2014). Collaboration in the face of change: A successful graduate curriculum revision. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 4(1), 33-41. doi: 10.5430/jnep.v4n1p33

Service

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

University of Nebraska Medical Center Interprofessional Academy of Educators.

Big 10 Academic Alliance of Diversity Officers, Co-Lead.

Kearney Dawn Rotary Club Member Health Education Center of Nebraska Board Member.

Recognition

2018 March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Spirit of Nursing Award.

2002 Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) International Honor Society of Nursing.

2001 Phi Kappa Phi, Honor Society.

2001 Lambda Alpha Honor Society.