Directory

Awards and Honors

• Penn State Student Engagement Coach Award. (2023)
• Janet Williamson Award for Excellence in Teaching, CON. (2021)
• Penn State Scranton Alumnus of the Year. (2020)
• University College Faculty Teaching Award, Penn State. (2018)

Teaching

Courses Taught

• NURS464: Dying and Death
• NURS240: Medication Calculations for Nurses
• NURS200W: Principles of Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice
• NURS596: Independent Research Study with PhD Students

Clinical Expertise and Areas of Specialization

PRIMARY:

• End of Life Care and Medical-Surgical Nursing

CERTIFICATIONS:

• CMSRN – Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse
• ELNED (End of Life Care)
• CNE (Certified Nurse Educator)

Mentorship

• 12 DNP or PhD students
• Mentorship of 20 students and clinical faculty
• PROGRAMS:
• Academic Leadership Academy – Penn State University – 2022
• Foundations for Online Teaching Certificate – 2012
• Instructional Practice Certificate – 2013
• Canvas Certified – 2016

Research

Research Interests and Areas of Expertise

PRIMARY

• End of Life Care

SECONDARY

• Nursing Education, Chronic Illness, Quality of Life

Presentations and Conference Involvement

• Rimbey, P., Albert, L., Barton, J., Berish, D., Evans, M., Smelko, A., Womeldorf, L., Kowalchik, K., & Decker Raynak, C. (September 19, 2024). Bouncing Back: An Exploratory Study of Nursing Resiliency. Scholarly Teaching Session at the 31st Annual Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Summit (Virtual).
• Smelko, A., Albert, L., Berish, D., Rimbey, P., Barton, J., Womeldorf, L., Kowalchik, K., Evans, M. & Decker Raynak, C. (August 8-9, 2024). Post-Pandemic Resiliency in Undergraduate Nursing Students. Podium presentation at the International Teaching Learning Cooperative LLC, Lilly Conference, Asheville, NC.
• Sanders, M. & Evans, M. (May 29-30, 2024). End-Of-Life Education Consortium (ELNEC) Train-the-Trainer Course. Podium presentation at Penn State Schuylkill.
• Faybisovich, N. Evans, M., Robinson, C., Riley, K., Adams, L., DeSanto, L., & Lucey, M. (May 8-9, 2024). Management of the Decompensating Home Health Patient. Poster presentation at the 7th Annual Translating Research into Innovations in Practice Symposium, Hershey, PA.
• Evans, M., Kowalchik, K., & Cruz, L. (May 8-9, 2024). End-of-Life Conversations: Teaching Undergraduate Nursing Students About Difficult Conversations Through Gamified Learning. Poster presentation at 7th Annual Translating Research into Innovations in Practice Symposium, Hershey, PA.
• Barton, J., Albert, L., Berish, D., Kowalchik, K., Rimbey, P., Smelko, A, Womeldorf, L., Decker Raynak, C., & Evans, M. (May 8-9, 2024). Post-Pandemic Resiliency in Undergraduate Nursing Students. Poster presentation at 7th Annual Translating Research into Innovations in Practice Symposium, Hershey, PA.
• Evans, M. (May 1, 2024). Diabetes Mellitus: An Evidence Based Approach to Care. Podium presentation for the Visiting Nurses Association of Lackawanna County at Glenmaura Senior Living, Moosic, PA.
• Kowalchik, K., Hupcey, J., Evans, M., Lee, K. (April 9, 2024). It Takes a Special Person: Exploring Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Emotional Needs while Providing End-of-Life Care. Poster presentation at Pennsylvania Higher Education Nursing Schools Association’s Spring Meeting in State College, PA.
• Kowalchik, K., Hupcey, J., Evans, M., Lee, K. (April 4, 2024). It Takes a Special Person: Exploring Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Emotional Needs while Providing End-of-Life Care. Poster presentation at Eastern Nursing Research Society 36th Annual Scientific Sessions in Boston, MA.
• Riley, K., Kowalchik, K., Evans, M., Faybisovich, N., Hupcey, J., Thomas, K. (April 4, 2024). Home Health Nurse Perceptions of Safety in the Workplace. Poster presentation at Eastern Nursing Research Society 36th Annual Scientific Sessions in Boston, MA.
• Evans, M. (April 2, 2024). Diabetes Mellitus: An Evidence Based Approach to Care. Podium presentation for the Visiting Nurses Association of Lackawanna County at Green Ridge Senior Apartments in Scranton, PA.
• Evans, M. (March 20, 2024). Infection Control in the Home Health Environment. Presentation and skills demonstration for the Visiting Nurses Association of Lackawanna County in Olyphant, PA.
• Faybisovich, N., Evans, M., Riley, K., Robinson, C., Adams, L, DeSanto, L., Lucey, M., & Milton, M. (March 15, 2024). Management of the Decompensating Patient Receiving Home Health. Virtual poster presentation at Beta Sigma Research Day: Advancing the Future of Clinical Practice Through Scholarship.
• Kowalchik, K., Evans, M., & Cruz, L. (November 30, 2023). End-of-Life Conversations: Teaching Undergraduate Nursing Students About Difficult Conversations Through Gamified Learning. Poster presentation at AACN Transform 2023 Conference in Orlando, FL.
• Doan, B., Evans, M., Riley, K., Kowalchik, K., & DeSanto, L. (2023). Frontline nurses: Dispatches from The Covid-19 pandemic. The North Film Festival – New York City.

Research Funding and Grants

• (2023): $11,197 from Moffat Foundation to purchase VR headsets and VR simulations as a pilot for Penn State Scranton Students.
• (2022): $25,000 from Moffat Foundation to purchase beds for the Simulation Lab at Penn State Scranton.
• (2022): $315.00. General Education Microgrant for NURS 464: Dying & Death to purchase teaching equipment (“Hello” game).
• (2021): $175.00. Certified Medical Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN) Recertification Grant for renewal of my CMSRN credentials from the Academy of Medical Surgical Nurses.
• (2020-2021): $10,000 from Moffat Foundation for general program support of the nursing program at Penn State Scranton.
• (2020-2021): $8,000 from Penn State’s Arts & Design Research Incubator to explore Nurses Stories of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.
• (2019-2020): $1,239. Dr. & Mrs. Richard J. Matthews Award for Excellence in Scholarship Endowment to Attend the Qualitative Research Summer Intensive at the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science at the University of North Carolina in 2020.
• (2019-2020): $4000. Research Development Grant from Penn State Scranton to explore Acute Care Nurses’ Perceptions of Palliative Care and the Impact it has a Palliative Care Referrals.
• (2019): $1000. Sustainability Grant from the College of Nursing for the project, titled “Creating a Caring Environment for the Penn State Scranton Campus.”
• (2018-2021): $27,000 from Moffat Foundation to hold children’s health fair at Penn State Scranton for the next three years.

Publications and Scholarly Work

• Weaver, R., Evans, M., Hrabovsky, S., Loeb, S. (Accepted). Taking a closer look at incivility in prelicensure nursing education: A narrative review of student-to-faculty incivility. Nurse Educator.
• Riley, K., Evans, M., Kowalchik, K., Robinson, C., Faybisovich, N., Lucey, M., & Joyce, B. (Accepted). The importance of advance care planning in persons with chronic progressive illnesses. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!
• Faybisovich, N., Evans, M., Riley, K., Kowalchik, K., Robinson, C., & Lucey, M. (July/August, 2024). Terminal secretions: What the nurse needs to know. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy! 22(4), 37-39.
• Evans, M., Riley, K.. & Kowalchik, K. (October, 2024). Providing care and comfort at the end of life. In M. Boltz, E. A. Capezuti, & T. Fulmer (Eds.), Evidence-based geriatric nursing protocols for best practice (7th ed.), pp. Springer Publishing Company.
• Miner, M., Peachey, B., Evans, M., Brown, R. (2024). The promotion of teaching and learning scholarship in undergraduate nursing non-tenure line faculty: A success story. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20589
• Robinson, C., Evans, M., Riley, K., Adams, L, DeSanto, L., Lucey, M., Milton, M., & Faybisovich, N. (January/February, 2024). Management of the decompensating patient receiving home health. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy! 22(1), 42-25.
• Almasloukh, K., Miner, M., Phillips, K., & Evans, M. (2023). Educational strategies and nursing theory to prepare learners for NCLEX-RN. Nursing Open, 00, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1998
• Robinson, C., Evans, M., Riley, K., Kowalchik, K., Adams, L., DeSanto, L., & Lucey, M. (July/August, 2023). Introducing palliative care into the treatment of a critically ill patient. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy! 21(4), 20-28.
• Riley, K., Lucey, M., Kowalchik, K., Adams, L., DeSanto, L., Robinson, C., Faybisovich, N., Milton, M., & Evans, M. (May/June, 2023). Compassionate evidence-based care for patients with HIV/AIDS at the end of life. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy! 21(3), 22-29.
• Evans, M., Streiff, K., Stiller, C., Barton, J., Riley, K., & Kowalchik, K. (March, 2023). Preparing new nurses during a pandemic. Nursing Clinics of North America, 58,(1), 49-57.
• Evans, M., Doan, B., Riley, K., Kowalchik, K., & DeSanto, L. (Spring, 2022). On caring and suffering [blog post]. Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine. https://www.theintima.org/blog/notes-from-a-nRurse-on-our-patients-self-care-and-hospitals
• Evans, M., Doan, B., Riley, K., Kowalchik, K., & DeSanto, L. (Spring, 2022). Experiences from the front line: Stories of nurses during COVID-19. Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine. https://www.theintima.org/experiences-from-the-front-line-michael-evans
• Desanto, L., Evans, M., Riley, K., Kowalchik, K., Adams, L., Lucey, M., & Robinson, C. (July/August, 2022). Introducing palliative care into cancer treatment. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 20(4), 18-27.
• Lucey, M., Evans, M., Riley, K., Kowalchik, K., Adams, L., & DeSanto, L. (November/December, 2021). The nurse’s role in the care of patients with cellulitis. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 19(6), 30-37.
• Adams, L., Evans, M., Riley, K., Kowalchik, K., Lucey, M., & DeSanto, L. (July/August, 2021). The role of the nurse in the treatment of persons living with Lyme disease. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 19(4), 38-45.
• Petren, R., Evans, M., Barnett, K., & Kowalchik, K. (May/June, 2021). Relational turning points in spousal relationships during the journey with cancer. MEDSURG Nursing, 30(3), 187-196
• Riley, K., Evans, M., Kowalchik, K., Adams, L., & Lucey, M. (November/December, 2020). Sickle cell anemia: Best practices for patient-centered care. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 18(6), 26-33.
• Evans, M. (May 13, 2020). The world came to a halt. Penn State – Viral Imaginations – COVID -19. https://viralimaginations.psu.edu/written-sub

Editorial and Peer Review Roles

• Evans, M. (2020). Core Curriculum for Medical-Surgical Nursing (5th ed.) Content reviewer for Chapter 11: End of Life Care and Ethics. New Jersey: Anthony J. Jannetti, Inc.
• Evans M. (2016-Present). Abstract Review for ENRS Annual Scientific Sessions.
• Evans, M. (2017-Present). Review research summaries related to chronic illness before publication. Journal of Patient Experience, Clinical Nursing Research, Heart & Lung: The Journal of Cardiopulmonary and Acute Care.

Service

Community and Policy Engagement

• Fundraise and walk in the American Diabetes Walk annually.
• Helped to obtain grants to hold annual children’s fairs at Penn State Scranton to improve the health of the local community.
• Delivered professional development seminars to nurses at the Visiting Nurses Association of Lackawanna County (infection control).

Professional Organization Involvement and Fellowships

• Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
• Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Xi Gamma & Beta Sigma Chapters) – Former Secretary for both the Xi Gamma and Beta Sigma Chapters and former VP to the Beta Sigma Chapter
• National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists
• Academy of Medical Surgical Nurses
• American Nurses Association
• American Heart Association
• American Diabetes Association – Advocate
• National League for Nursing
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing
• Organizational Leadership Network
• Men’s Health Network: Member of Advisory Board
• Penn State Worthington Scranton Alumni Society
• National Academic Advising Association (Region 2)
• Pennsylvania Action Coalition Northeast 1 Region
• Eastern Nursing Research Society
• Pennsylvania League for Nursing Area II
• National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities
• Pennsylvania Higher Education Nursing Schools Association (PHENSA) – Served on Nursing Scholarship, Research, and Education Committee