Summer 2012 - Robert Morris University
Summer 2012 - Robert Morris University
Summer 2012 - Robert Morris University
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AND PERSONAL<br />
FACULTY PROFILE<br />
Although Susan Van Cleve, D.N.P., encourages her patients to get a lot of sleep, she has no<br />
time for a nap. Besides being an associate professor of nursing at RMU and a pediatric nurse<br />
practitioner providing behavioral and mental health care to children and teens in the South<br />
Hills, Van Cleve is president of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, or<br />
NAPNAP. The professional organization works to improve health care for infants, children,<br />
and adolescents and to advance the role of nurse practitioners in providing that care.<br />
Promoting the role of nurse practitioners and advocating for children's health has long<br />
been a priority for Van Cleve, who teaches in the university's Doctor of Nursing Practice<br />
program. She was a founder of the Three Rivers Chapter of NAPNAP in 1993 and has<br />
been an officer in several nurse practitioner organizations in her career.<br />
Susan Van Cleve<br />
Her expertise focuses on assessing and treating children with developmental, behavioral,<br />
and mental health issues, such as ADHD, autism, anxiety, genetic syndromes, depression,<br />
and anxiety. "I love to work with children and families," she says. "Children are<br />
receptive to change, and it is interesting to note how parents will<br />
change their own habits to benefit their<br />
child's health."<br />
Helping students to be the<br />
best they can be and guiding<br />
them in their careers is what<br />
Van Cleve says she enjoys most<br />
as a professor. For example, take<br />
a research course she teaches<br />
about writing grants. "I can see<br />
the students improve their<br />
writing. It's fun to watch the<br />
growth and understand how their<br />
problem-solving skills develop until<br />
they reach that 'aha!' moment. The<br />
most gratifying part of teaching is<br />
when a student is able to understand<br />
a concept, fact or analysis and<br />
integrate it into practice."<br />
WRITTEN BY SARA MEIER '11<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY<br />
SUSAN VAN CLEVE<br />
rmu.edu/foundations<br />
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