New Faculty Profile: Get to Know De Anne 'D' Dwight, MSN, CRSS
Feb. 10, 2020
Please join us in welcoming Clinical Instructor De Anne Dwight, MSN, CRSS, who joined the University of Arizona College of Nursing in January. Dwight earned both her BSN from MSN from Grand Canyon University and has worked as a registered nurse at Banner University Medical Center as well as a research nurse at the UArizona College of Medicine.
What drew you to a career in nursing?
My mother was a nurse at the original Shock Trauma in Baltimore. I remember going to work with her as a little girl, I just thought everyone was supposed to be nurses. I did a few other things before I became a nurse including being an air traffic controller in the Marine Corps, teaching children, and working my up through support positions at UMC.
"The college of nursing represents so many different aspects of nursing as a practice and so many different types of nursing, that after working as a nurse in various places around the city, it feels like I am finally coming home.” ~ De Anne Dwight, MSN, CRSS, Clinical Instructor, UArizona Nursing
What attracted you to the UArizona College of Nursing?
Living in Tucson, I appreciate the sense of community the university brings to the whole city. It is an honor to be a part of that. The college of nursing represents so many different aspects of nursing as a practice and so many different types of nursing, that after working as a nurse in various places around the city, it feels like I am finally coming home. If you are passionate about nursing, it just makes sense to share it with others who are also, and to be able to pass that on to the next generation of nurses.
What is your field of research/specialty?
Working in the emergency room for many years, the behavioral health patients became my focus. Research shows adults living with mental illness die up to 32 years earlier than other adults in Arizona. That is basically and entire lifetime. When I heard that I wanted to do whatever I could to give someone or their loved one back their life. I am always interested in integrative care, peer support, and innovative ways to provide patient health education.
Where are you from originally?
Baltimore, Maryland but then I moved to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in my senior year of high school. Then on to Florida where I joined the military, Memphis, and then Yuma.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love being in the sun, period. Either by a pool, hiking, or preferably by a beach. If I cannot be at the beach, then glamping and riding my four-wheeler in the desert full of saguaros with my husband, my dog and no cell phone service is a close second.