STEPHANIE G. METZGER, BSN 1984

Stephanie G. Metzger became a member of the nursing profession specializing in pediatric nursing after earning a BSN in 1984 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro School of Nursing.  In the fall of 1984, Stephanie was awarded a competitive nursing internship in pediatrics at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond after being selected from a field of 250 applicants.  Since graduation from UNCG, she has practiced in all arenas of pediatrics include neonatal ICU, pediatric ICU, rehabilitation, outpatient pediatrics, specializing in neurology and psychiatry.  In 1986, she earned a Master of Science in Nursing with a major in pediatric nursing and a minor as a clinical specialist.  In 1994, she earned a Post Masters Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Certificate and practices as a pediatric nurse practitioner.   To ensure her well-rounded approach to nursing, she works in primary care on weekends.

During her graduate studies beginning in 1985, Stephanie also worked as a primary home care nurse for the first successful ventilator-dependent child cared for outside of the ICU environment.  This young man is now 22 years old and applied to the VCU School of Nursing in 2004.  This experience shaped Stephanie’s entire career as she practiced nursing within the home of an extremely vulnerable child and family.  Experiencing this, along with being a member of a pioneer nursing team, she has evolved her nursing practice within the context of the family and recognizes the importance of the nurse-patient relationship.

Stephanie is also an effective nurse educator and is a non-tenured clinical assistant professor at the VCU School of Nursing.  Her work with undergraduate students during their pediatric rotation is very hands-on, and she works diligently to build student confidence in the clinical education setting.  In addition, she also works with graduate students in the classroom and clinical education environment.

Stephanie’s interests are as diverse as her practice and she continuously strengthens her own scholarship as evidenced in grant proposals, book chapters, publications, and papers presented at numerous conferences including the International Conference on Spina Bifida in Verona, Italy in 1999.

Stephanie says, “All in all, I have tried to remain true to the profession of nursing; always practicing at the bedside as a staff nurse, no matter what my position or title happens to be.  Bedside nursing is my true passion.  This is where I love practicing the art of nursing.”

UNCG Professor Frank McCormack, from the department of Physics and Astronomy, writes in his letter of nomination for the Distinguished Alumni Award:

In 1998, Stephanie won the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia School of Nursing.  On that occasion, I had the great privilege and distinct honor of escorting Dean Emeritus Eloise R. Lewis to Richmond for the award ceremony and dinner.  We talked of many things in the four-hour drives up and back, and in our conversations, it was very clear the esteem she held for Stephanie.