The latest episode of the Rowan College at Burlington County podcast network’s The Program Pod dropped this week and highlights the recipients of faculty awards from RCBC’s spring commencement, Elizabeth Brendle and Faith Zimnes. Brendle, assistant professor of Nursing, received the Lindbeck Distinguished Teaching Award, and Zimnes, assistant professor of Dental Hygiene, received the Faculty of the Year Award.
Host Jason Varga took a moment to delve into the careers of these two distinguished figures in the college’s Health Sciences division, from the very beginning, when they decided to enter the health care and education spheres, to now, as experienced professors proudly guiding the next generation of health care professionals.
For Zimnes, dentistry ran in the family; three years after finishing her studies at RCBC, she was asked to return as an instructor. At first, she balked at the suggestion. It wasn’t something on the radar. But when it was pointed out to her how naturally she tutored her classmates, she agreed, and from there she blossomed into the professor she is today.
In a specific discussion, Brendle recounts what first made her want to become a nurse: at 14, she saw the attentive care her friend with cystic fibrosis received from a nurse.
“I was in her room with her, and the nurse walked in, and she said to my friend, ‘You don’t feel good. What can I do?’ And my friend said, ‘My head hurts. I just need someone to squeeze me.’ So the nurse walked over to my friend, wrapped her arms around her, and just held her, and I thought to myself… ‘I want people to feel like that when I walk in the room.’... that’s when I decided I wanted to be a nurse.’”
Both have now spent years in the classroom, and the profound influence they’ve had on cohort after cohort is evident in receiving these awards. In the podcast, Varga reflects on spring commencement and how all of the nursing and dental hygiene students sprang from their seats and cheered when Brendle and Zimnes’ names were announced.
Their philosophies for the classroom involve helping to create the most well-rounded, well-educated healthcare professionals who are prepared to help real-life people through an intersection of high expectations and nurturing. It’s up to the students to do the work, but it’s imperative for the professors to help them along.
“Our program, it’s two years, 22 months,” Zimnes said. “We know where they need to be at the end. We’re in it with them. We push, we take their strengths, and we build on it. The whole point is to get to the end, the goal.”
Brendle and Zimnes also offer a faculty perspective on out-of-classroom experiences at RCBC in their respective disciplines, which are vital beyond graduation when entering a profession. DHS students perform cleanings for local community members, while nursing students fulfill clinical hours and even learn various types of nursing care in collaboration with other RCBC programs, including flight nursing with the Paramedic Science program. In that instance, Brendle took her students to an airport and gave them a helicopter tour.
“This job is perfect for me because I’m never doing the same thing on any given day, ever,” Brendle said.
Other segments explore their favorite fictional teachers, student success stories, and what it really means to become a healthcare professional. Discover more about these two professors and their journeys, as well as the intricacies of these academic programs, by watching the episode on YouTube. You can also listen to the audio versions at rcbc.edu/podcast.
Learn more about RCBC’s Nursing program here, as well as the Dental Hygiene program here.
