Dr. Collins holds a master’s degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University and a doctorate of philosophy in nursing from the University of Tennessee. She completed her master’s clinical work in the Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and worked professionally at the Baptist Hospital School of Practical Nursing and Metropolitan Nashville General Hospital. Prior to joining Milligan’s faculty in 1994, she served as the clinical nurse manager for the Family Childbirth Center at Indian Path Medical Center in Kingsport, Tennessee. Collins was appointed Area Chair of Nursing and Director of the Nursing program in 2000 and Associate Dean of the School of Science and Allied Health in 2015.
In addition to teaching and administration, Collins serves as an accreditation evaluator for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), item writer for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) and chair-elect of the Appalachian Consortium on Nursing Education and Practice. She is a past chair of the Tennessee Association of Deans and Directors and was named a 2014 “Health Care Hero” for excellence in administration by the Johnson City Business Journal.
Topics of Expertise: Childbirth/Neonatal Care, Nursing education consultant, Nursing Research, Grounded Theory, Qualitative Research.