Valerie Whynall

Education

EdD, University of Hartford

MSN, University of Hartford

BSN, Northeastern University

ADN, St. Paul’s School of Nursing

Teaching Focus

Assistant Professor Valerie Whynall is a nurse educator and practicing registered nurse whose work bridges academic nursing education and contemporary clinical practice. She teaches across the undergraduate nursing curriculum, with experience in adult medical-surgical nursing, maternal-child nursing, leadership, clinical skills, and simulation-based education. Her teaching emphasizes clinical judgment, patient safety, evidence-based practice, and helping students develop the confidence and professional identity needed for nursing practice.

Whynall is particularly interested in meaningful learning though experiential methods, simulation, and case-based approaches that help students connect classroom knowledge with real-world clinical decision-making. Her work also includes curriculum development, student mentorship, and creating learning experiences that support students as they transition from nursing education into professional practice.

Professional Interests

Whynall’s scholarly interests center on nursing education and the transition of newly graduated nurses into professional practice. Her research explores the experiences of new graduate nurses entering acute-care practice, including the education-to-practice gap, specialty readiness, orientation and preceptorship, professional support, and the development of confidence during the first year of practice.

Her broader interests include simulation and experiential learning, nursing curriculum design and evaluation, clinical readiness, and strengthening connections between academic nursing education and professional practice.