An assistant professor for the College of Nursing received the Outstanding Nurse Researcher of the Year award this past September.
Dorothy Carolina received the first award of her career this fall from the Concerned Black Nurses of Newark, Inc.
Carolina said she has been invited to present her research and results locally and nationally at conventions.
Since receiving her Ph.D from Rutgers University, Carolina has focused her research on job-related burnout and other work related stresses experienced while working in management.
"I spent most of my nursing career in nursing management," Carolina said. "After thirteen, fourteen years in being in management, I got up and said I had had enough."
Carolina said she did not understand why she felt the way she did at that time.
"I faced a whole lot of challenges that I think could have been a lot easier to deal with if I had the organizational support," Carolina said.
Carolina's interest in job-related burnout began with her doctoral dissertation.
"I came across the concept of burnout," Carolina said. "It was what I felt."
Despite this being Carolina's first award, she said she has been proud of many things throughout her career
Carolina is one of two African American nurses to receive their doctorate from Rutgers' nursing school.
Carolina also said she was proudest when her son expressed to her how proud he was of her achievements.
Carolina started her teaching career with Seton Hall in 2008 and said she hopes she can bring certain aspects to the community.
"I want to be an inspiration to nursing students," Carolina said. "I hope I can inspire them to be excellent."
"I always tell them the best and brightest should be nurses," Carolina said.
Carolina received her diploma in nursing from Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing, Bachelor of Science of Nursing from Seton Hall, and Master of Science in Nursing from Columbia University School of Nursing.
In the future, Carolina plans to examine the correlation and effects of nursing burnout on the health outcomes of minority patients in hospital settings, according to the Seton Hall website.
Ashley Duvall can be reached at Ashley.duvall@student.shu.edu
