Rebecca Poston Appointed to Virginia Board of Nursing
August 20, 2015
Rebecca Poston
Rebecca Poston, who has been a lecturer with Old Dominion University's School of Nursing since 2010 and an assistant professor since January 2015, prides herself in having the "dream job."
Besides teaching nursing students and doing research in the College of Health Sciences, she also works as a pediatric nurse practitioner at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (CHKD).
"Not only do I get to work in an educational setting, but CHKD allows me to continue engagement with patients and families in a face-to-face, real-time way and that to me is a priority in terms of staying abreast of new modes of treatment and technology and what's happening on the ground," she said.
But her dedication to healthcare doesn't stop there. Poston was recently appointed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe to the Virginia Board of Nursing, where she will be able to have an impact on the future of nursing in the state of Virginia. The four-year, prestigious appointment was a welcomed surprise for Poston.
Poston, who is married to Norfolk's Commissioner of Revenue C. Evans Poston Jr., says she has found herself from time to time in political circles and has expressed an interest in serving on a state board. More than a year ago, she submitted her CV to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's appointments repository/website, and in July she received a phone call notifying her of the appointment.
"This is a huge honor," Poston said. "I was able to get my feet wet in a City Council appointment to the Norfolk Interagency Consortium, which oversees local and state funding for at-risk youth. This appointment takes it to the next level.
"I hope to bring the perspective of educator/clinician/citizen to the board. I'm looking forward to learning from people across the state," she continued.
Shelley Mishoe, dean of the College of Health Sciences, said Poston "will undoubtedly represent our college well in her service to the commonwealth and the profession" in her role on the Board of Nursing.
"Rebecca is a natural leader who can organize people and priorities to make things happen for the betterment of the team and community," Mishoe said.
In July, Poston also received the college's G.W. Hirschfeld Award for her work with Inter-professional Education and Practice. She serves on the Advisory Committee for Inter-professional Education at the college.
Poston attributes a positive high school experience with her career choices. At that time, she volunteered for Operation Smile and was able to go on a medical mission to Russia with the nonprofit dedicated to helping children with cleft lip and cleft palate conditions.
There, Poston says she "had the opportunity to see doctors, nurses, speech pathologists, dental hygienists in an inter-professional group make a huge difference in a short amount of time on children's lives. And that experience is imprinted on my heart and my brain, and it never went away."
After earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Virginia in 2003, Poston came to ODU, pursued the pediatric nurse practitioner tract, and received her Masters of Science in Nursing in 2005. She received her Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Virginia in 2012.
The married mother of a 2 and 5-year-old, grew up in the Ghent area of Norfolk and has remained connected to the community.
"The ODU community is my community. I grew up here. I was part of the last graduating class of pediatric nurse practitioners here," she said. "This is where I wanted to be."
Poston says her time spent working at the College of Health Sciences has had a profound effect on her educational enrichment. "Your colleagues rub off on you," she said.