New faculty spotlight: Jessica Semin, DNP

Jessica Semin, DNP, is a new faculty member at UNMC.

Name: Jessica Semin, DNP
Hometown: Omaha
Title and department at UNMC: Assistant professor, UNMC College of Nursing

Research/professional interests:

Health system and process improvements
Interdisciplinary health education
Interprofessional collaborative initiatives
Patient safety
Student wellness

How I fell in love with nursing education:

Nursing education was definitely not my original plan. As a new nursing student, my vision was to work on a critical care unit on the night shift and to never go back to school, which is the exact opposite of what I did. While working as a CNA on an inpatient unit and in a skilled nursing facility during nursing school, I began to see the importance of preventative care and the public health infrastructure. At the same time, I was involved in UNMC service-learning activities, which gave me the opportunity to learn about the power of the social determinants of health. Both experiences opened my eyes to the public health world. It is an honor to be able to teach nursing students about the importance of public and population health. Seeing the learning lightbulb moments among students and the excitement of our community partners during health education presentations continuously reminds me of my love for education, public health and nursing!

Education:

BSN, UNMC, 2015
MPH, public health administration, UNMC, 2017
DNP, nurse leader/executive, UNMC, 2021

Memberships:

American Nurses Association
American Public Health Association
Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society
Nebraska Nurses Association
Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society
UNMC College of Public Health Alumni Council

Three things people may not know about me:

I am a three-time UNMC grad and have worked in the College of Public Health, the College of Medicine and the College of Nursing.
I am a proud seventh-generation Omahan.
I’ve worked in many career fields, including retail, child care and real estate.