School of Professional Studies

Monica Sousa, Department of Nursing

Dr. Monica Sousa joined the WCSU Nursing Department faculty in 2010. She received her BSN and a minor in Psychology from Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) in 2004, her MSN from WCSU in January of 2010 in the Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Educator track and her Doctorate in Nursing Education from WCSU in May 2016. She is a aboard certified Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist. Her clinical experience includes working on a cardiac/telemetry unity, post cardiac intervention unity, risk manager, patient advocate and cardiovascular service line clinical educator.

Dr. Sousa developed the nursing department’s first study abroad course, where students went to Thessaloniki, Greece to learn about healthcare in another country. Along with Dr. Cathy Rice and sixteen students including graduate and undergraduate students attended the trip during the Spring 2018 semester. While there students visited different hospitals, clinics, and a refugee camp. Dr. Sousa and the students also participated and presented at a conference at the Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki in Greece. She has also received 2 grants for additional study aboard opportunity for students to study and observe healthcare in Greece.

Dr. Sousa presented her dissertation “Orientation Learning Needs of Adjunct Clinical Faculty” at several local and regional conferences. Her research will be published Nursing Education Perspectives. She has also presented at various professional conferences on different topics including simulation, nursing education, new interventional cardiac procedures, and healthcare in the United States. She co-wrote a chapter with Dr. Linda Warren, called “Acute Management of Respiratory Distress in the Adult Patient” in the book Simulation Scenarios for Nursing Educators: Making it Real, which is now in its third edition.

Dr. Sousa is a co-founder and Chair of the WCSU Alumni Nursing Society, the first alumni chapter of the WCSU Alumni Association. She is an active member of the WCSU Alumni Association Board of Directors. She is a member of National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialist, American Nurses Association, and the Connecticut Nurses Association. She served as an Ambassador for AACN from 2013-2018 and was on the Education Committee for NACNS from 2016-2018. She serves on the Nursing Advisory Board for Osmosis, as well as the Nuvance Global Health Nurse Executive Committee. WSCU and Nuvance Global Health Program are working together to provide service-learning opportunities for students to study global health at healthcare facilities and nursing schools around the world.