Lorraine Robbins: Taking Nursing to the Next Level

By Alexandria Kobryn When one thinks of nursing as a profession, a PhD isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, but it might be soon. Lorraine Robbins, associate professor in the College of Nursing at Michigan State University, knows the importance of higher education in any setting, but she feels particularly strong about nursing. “With increasing education, there are greater opportunities in nursing,” she said. Robbins began her higher education journey at Pennsylvania State University in Hershey, Pa. where she earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing. For years after, she worked in hospitals in the Washington D.C. area, but she began to feel as though working in hospitals was not enough for her. Robbins went to Atlanta, Ga. where she entered a family nurse practitioner program at Emory University. She eventually accepted a faculty position back at Penn State. “A lot of my time was spent with undergraduate nursing students in the Hershey Medical Center,” said Robbins. “I decided to further my education again and I enrolled in a nursing education PhD program at Widener University in Chester, Pa.” Robbins started a doctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. While there, Robbins completed a post-master’s as a pediatric nurse practitioner, focusing on the physical activity of adolescents. “I was really interested in other opportunities and just expanding my education because I didn’t want things to be routine. I always felt I needed to do more to progress in my career,” said Robbins. “When I went to […]