Virginia Hackett is a strong advocate for her students and for other nurses and believes in life-long learning. She completed her research that completed the requirements for her PhD in nursing. Her past job in continuing education led to Virginia’s keen research interest in the difficulties faced by the transitioning returnee registered nurses after a hiatus from practice. Her research was entitled “The Effects of a Refresher Course Upon the Professional Role Confidence Level of Transitioning Returnee Registered Nurses.”
Other research pursuits she was/is involved in: curriculum design, student HESI testing (published article 2011), assessing student aptitude and readiness for nursing studies, development of simulation scenarios, assessment of Sim Chart deployment in the curriculum (a simulated electronic health record), and the impact of faculty beliefs and attitudes upon personal and students’ behaviors related to the inoculation with the flu vaccine (results published in 2014).