NEWS

PITTSBURGH — Dr. Betsy M. McDowell, professor emerita of nursing at Newberry College, has received the Margaret S. Miles Distinguished Service Award from the Society of Pediatric Nurses. The award was presented at the society's annual conference in Pittsburgh.

The award recognizes a member of the society who has made exceptional contributions to organization and to pediatric nursing. McDowell, in addition to her 48 years of teaching in nursing prelicensure programs in South Carolina, has worked as a pediatric critical care nurse. She has contributed to the society since 1990, most recently as chair of the Pediatric Nursing Excellence Task Force.

McDowell is a “transformational leader who listens more than she speaks" and who seeks "clarification that brings out the strength in others," said Kathy Van Allen, the society's president, when she presented the award. McDowell is the ninth individual to receive the award since its creation in 2006.

McDowell helped establish Newberry College’s nursing program, which began classes in 2009. She served as the department’s founding chair until her retirement in 2018. Her KATTS framework for high achievement on the NCLEX-RN licensure exam has been adopted by at least 12 prelicensure programs across the United States. In October, she was inducted as a fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Nursing.