Prof. named state chair

Kristin Benton, an ACC vocational nursing professor, was appointed the chair of the Texas Board of Nursing by Governor Rick Perry. Her term is set to expire on Jan. 31, 2013.

"Governor Perry is confident in her leadership of the board and appreciates her willingness to serve Texas in this capacity," said Lucy Nashed, deputy press secretary for the governor's office.

"My colleagues here are the people that have given me the courage and the confidence to even apply," said Benton, referring to the faculty at Eastview Campus.

She was initially appointed to the board to represent the educators of vocational nursing alongside other health professionals and consumer members.

Benton explained that the board's primary goal is to protect the public. Other board functions are to accredit both new and established nursing schools and to monitor nurses to ensure compliance with requirements to practice in the field.

"Sometimes there are difficult issues, especially when you have situations where you have nurses who are having licensing issues because of practice violations... It can be tense," said Benson.

"I certainly want to portray that we respect everyone. We give everyone due process."

Benton earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology at the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Science in nursing at Louisiana State University before completing her master's degree in nursing at University of Texas in San Antonio.

She previously worked at Brackenridge Hospital and South Austin Medical Center where students came in and inspired her to consider teaching nursing.

She became a full-time faculty member a year after beginning at ACC as an adjunct instructor in 2000.

"I've grown to enjoy the classroom teaching and love it now. But in the beginning, it was very hard for me to be out in front of a lot of people, and I've worked on that," Benton said.

Since the state organization usually meets for quarterly two-day sessions, Benton does not expect her expanded role with the board to detract from being an instructor at ACC, but she expects it to enhance her teaching skills.

"I teach our first semester foundation course, and I find that there's so much information at the board meeting that can be brought back to the class," said Benton.

"I can bring in real cases, and I can share some of the information, some of the outcome of certain things not thought of before that could affect your nursing license, especially when we talk about the roles of the LVN [licensed vocational nurse], because an LVN is not the same as an RN [registered nurse]."

"Kris is a very genuine person. She's always available to us," said Tabitha Rhodes, one of Benton's students. "She always makes sure that you know the information. It couldn't have happened to a better person."