Morgan Staver - Student Spotlight

Morgan Staver is a BSN to PhD student in UNMC’s College of Nursing. She is also a Graduate Research Assistant for Dr. Bunny Pozehl and Dr. Kathleen Hanna.

Research/professional interests: I’m studying psychological distress in mothers of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). My overall career goal is to improve maternal mental health and infant development in vulnerable populations. I hope to achieve this goal by combining clinical practice as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with research as a PhD prepared nurse scientist. I’ve worked as a registered nurse at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in the NICU, at Methodist Hospital as a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE), and at Catholic Health Initiatives as a behavioral health float pool nurse in addition to my graduate assistant work at UNMC.

Why I chose a PhD in nursing: I love learning, and I enjoy working on long-term, self-directed projects. I participated in research during my undergraduate education, and I found that I liked generating knowledge that helps improve clinical practice. A PhD in nursing will allow me to create a career that combines research and clinical practice at a high level.

What I like about UNMC: The people! The faculty, staff, and students are all highly driven and intelligent people. The UNMC College of Nursing has created an environment that encourages people to build each other up and push each other to achieve our full potential.

Professional memberships:

Three things people may not know about me: