Tara Serwetnyk, EdD, RN, FNAP, NPD-BC

(Pronouns: She/Her/Hers)

Director, Academic Innovation
Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing

Education

Doctorate in Education Education Administration with a Specialization in Higher Education, 2021. University of Rochester School of Nursing. Rochester, NY
Master of Science in Leadership in Healthcare Systems: Health Promotion, Education, and Technology, 2008. University of Rochester School of Nursing. Rochester, NY
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 2006. University of Rochester School of Nursing. Rochester, NY
Associates of Science in Nursing, 2001. Monroe Community College. Rochester, NY

Bio

Tara Serwetnyk started her nursing career on a pediatric intermediate care unit at Golisano Children’s Hospital in 2002. She has experience caring for infants and children in both intensive care and general care, in-patient settings. There, her love for teaching grew as she realized the positive impact that education had on her patients and their families.

After obtaining her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Rochester, Serwetnyk followed her passion for teaching and became a nurse educator in pediatrics, and later in the Center for Nursing Professional Development at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She focused on using innovative education strategies in her practice and worked to improve professional nursing certification rates for pediatric nurses. As the training center coordinator, she served on the American Heart Association’s Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI) board and implemented the RQI program at URMC with a goal to improve resuscitation outcomes.

Serwetnyk joined the University of Rochester School of Nursing in June 2018 and is now the director of academic innovation. In this role, she oversees instructional design, the development of learning resources, educational technology, Quality Matters certification, and assessment. She co-leads the Redefining our Classroom (iROC) initiative, the school’s iPad program, which successfully achieved Apple Distinguished School designation in October 2021. Serwetnyk currently serves on the School's Strategic Planning Committee and co-chairs the academic goal alongside the associate dean for education. In addition, she is the Standard III co-chair for the CCNE Accreditation Steering Committee.

In May 2021, Serwetnyk graduated from the Warner School of Education with her EdD in Education Administration with a specialization in higher education. She is a member of several organizations including the Association for Nurses in Professional Development, the New York Organization for Nurse Executives and Leaders, and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nurses, Epsilon Xi Chapter where she is an elected member of the Leadership Succession Committee.

Professional Experience

Assistant Professor for Clinical Nursing,: University of Rochester, School of Nursing, Rochester, NY, US. 7/2021 - Current
Teaching Associate,: University of Rochester, School of Nursing, Rochester, NY, US. 6/2018 - 6/2021
Interim Director, Center for Life Long Learning,: University of Rochester, School of Nursing, Rochester, NY, US. 1/2019 - 11/2020
Senior Nurse Educator/AHA Training Center Coordinator,: University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, US. 5/2015 - 8/2018
Pediatric Advanced Life Support Coordinator,: University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, US. 9/2008 - 10/2017
Nurse Educator,: University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, US. 3/2009 - 5/2015
Nurse Leader,: University of Rochester Medical Center - Golisano Children’s Hospital, Rochester, NY, US. 10/2005 - 9/2008
Pediatric Burn Coordinator,: University of Rochester Medical Center - Golisano Children’s Hospital, Rochester, NY, US. 5/2005 - 9/2008
Staff Nurse Level II-III,: University of Rochester Medical Center - Golisano Children’s Hospital, Rochester, NY, US. 3/2004 - 9/2008
Staff Nurse Level I-III,: University of Rochester Medical Center - Golisano Children’s Hospital, Rochester, NY, US. 1/2002 - 10/2005

Awards

Outstanding Faculty Colleague Award: University of Rochester, School of Nursing, 2022
Outstanding Faculty Colleague Award: University of Rochester, School of Nursing, 2021
Education Innovation Award: Sigma Theta Tau Epsilon Xi, 2018
Nurse of the Year Nomination: March of Dimes, 2015

Presentations

Bridging the Gap: How a Multi-modal Approach to Teaching Population Health Changed the Student Perspective of Poverty: AACN Transform 2021 Conference, 2021
Addressing Health Equity Education through a Community-based Telehealth Experience: AACN Transform 2021 Conference, AACN, 2021
Reimagining Nursing Education: Apple Education Event, 2021
Examsoft and Integration of Apple Products for Student Assessments: Examsoft Assessment Conference, 2021
Education of the Next Generation of Nursing: SON iROC Initiative: FLONEL Event, 2021
How to Add Collaboration Tools into your Course: Faculty Workshop, University of Rochester, 2020
Fostering a Learner-Centered Approach: Use of iPad Technology as a Teaching/Learning Tool to Support Innovative Assessments: American Association of Colleges of Nursing Baccalaureate Conference, 2019
iPads in Medical and Nursing Education: University of Rochester Faculty Summit, University of Rochester School of Nursing, 2019; Rochester, New York
Transforming a Hybrid Health Assessment Course to an Engaging Distance Learning Experience: Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education Conference, 2019
UR Medicine’s Commitment to High Quality CPR: RQI 2020 Keynote Event, 2018
OUR RQI Experience: American Heart Association Education Conference, American Heart Association, 2017
Supporting Clinical Nurses in the Dissemination of Best Practices: Professional Development 2017 Convention, Association for Nursing, 2017
Can Nurses Have Fun and Successfully Prepare for Specialty Certification?: Professional Development 2015 Convention, Association for Nursing, 2015
Online Basic Life Support Courses Gain Efficiencies while Maintaining Quality Outcomes: Professional Development 2015 Convention, Association for Nursing, 2015
Online Basic Life Support Courses Gain Efficiencies while Maintaining Quality Training Outcomes for Registered Nurses in a Large Academic medical Institution: American Heart Association Conference: Scientific Sessions, American Heart Association, 2013

Publications

Burke, K. B. & Serwetnyk, T. M. (2022). . Using Adobe Spark and Google Maps to Create and Share Patient Education for an Intermediate Medical/Surgical Nursing Course. Case Studies – Digital Scholars at Rochester.
Ciurzynski, S. M., Gottfried, J. A., Serwetnyk, T. M., et al. (2022). A Narrative Review of Training Approaches to Address Low Volume High Risk Pediatric Resuscitation Skills. Journal of Nursing Practice.
Serwetnyk, T., Filmore, K.., VonBacho, S., Cole, R., Miterko, C., Smith, C., Smith, C.M. (2015). Comparison of Online and Traditional Basic Life Support Renewal Training Methods for Registered Professional Nurses. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development.
Ciurzynski, S. & Serwetnyk, T. (2015). Increasing Nurse Certification Rates Using a Multimodal Approach. The Journal of Nursing Administration.