Macon State College MVPs is a web feature that profiles notable students, alumni, faculty and staff.
Nursing faculty member Dr. Darrell Thompson received Macon State's 2011 Outstanding Teaching Award.
Full Name: Darrell W. Thompson.
Hometown & Residence: Perry.
Job Title: Assistant Professor of Nursing.
Degrees: Associate of arts in psychology from the former Macon Junior College; bachelor of science in psychology from Georgia College; bachelor of science in nursing from Georgia College; master of science in psychology from Georgia College; master of science in nursing/family nurse practitioner from Georgia College & State University; post master’s certificate in nursing education from Georgia College & State University; post master’s certificate in acute care nurse practitioner from Medical College of Georgia doctor of nursing practice Georgia Health Sciences University (Formerly Medical College of Georgia).
Year he joined the Macon State faculty: 2007.
Some of his teaching career highlights are … “Being selected by students as keynote speaker at pinning ceremonies by three different graduating classes was very humbling. The students choose a person to speak who has been instrumental in their accomplishment of finishing school. The greatest accomplishment of my teaching career was being selected as the recipient of the outstanding teaching award for Macon State for the 2010-2011 academic year. The students of the May 2011 graduating pre-licensure graduating class nominated me for this award.”
He enjoys teaching at Macon State College because … “Macon State is a solid institution of higher education with a great reputation. I started my educational career as a student at Macon State College. It is exciting to see Macon State transition to a traditional college offering bachelor’s degrees. Nursing is a profession which has a great shortage and the need for Registered Nurses in the United States is expected to increase as our population lives longer with chronic health conditions. Macon State College is meeting the need by preparing Registered Nurses. It pleases me to know that I am a part of meeting that need.”
His favorite course to teach is … “ ‘Medical Surgical Nursing II’ because valvular disorders of the heart are covered in this course. This material is often difficult to comprehend but I like seeing the look on the student’s faces when they realize it isn’t as hard as they have imagined it to be.”
One thing people don’t know about Macon State is … “It is an excellent college right here in Macon and Warner Robins.”
One thing people don’t know about him is … “I was a licensed mental health counselor prior to being a Registered Nurse.”
In his spare time he likes to … “Spare time has been a rare thing for me since I began teaching at Macon State due to working on my doctor of nursing practice. I remember a co-worker of mine asked me this question a couple of years ago, and my reply was, ‘Go to school, isn’t it obvious?’ ”
The one person he’d most like to meet is … “Florence Nightingale. She is considered the founder of nursing. She discovered that handwashing was the primary means of fighting infection—a practice which still holds true today!”
If he wasn’t a college professor he would be a … “Working as a nurse practitioner because it is my second love.”