Loren Nell Melton Stein, MSN, RNC-NIC, received her BSN from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and her MSN from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She began her clinical experience at Duke University Medical Center in the Neonatal Step-Down and Pediatric Intensive Care Units. She continued her neonatal clinical experience with years in nursing management at Arlington Hospital, now named Virginal Hospital Center.
A move to Maryland and completion of her MSN resulted in a faculty position at Salisbury State University and an expansion of her clinical skills to include postpartum and mother/baby care. Upon moving to Oklahoma, she began teaching clinical skills at the College of Nursing, where she first met her co-author. A few years later, she and Connie developed and coordinated a patient care clinical skills class at the College of Allied Health.
In Oklahoma, her clinical focus shifted to disaster nursing, and she has served as a Unit Coordinator and statewide Education Coordinator for the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps. She has developed a nursing student externship in emergency preparedness and response and was part of a national task force that developed the Core Competencies for Medical Reserve Corps Volunteers. For the past decade, she was a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing, where she coordinated the professional practice lab for the traditional BSN students in Oklahoma City. She has over 2 decades of experience teaching clinical skills to undergraduate students and has contributed to clinical skills and pediatric textbooks.
Loren would like to recognize the unwavering support of her husband and family. She would like to thank her co-author for persevering with this project for many years. In addition, Loren would like to recognize two nurses who inspired her long journey as a nursing educator and as an author to write and continue writing this book: Dean Ruby Wilson, EdD, MSN, RN, FAAN, and Donna Wong, PhD, RN CPN, FAAN. Dean Ruby Wilson was the Dean during her years at Duke and set a wonderfully warm, bright example of a leader and educator. Donna Wong was a fellow Oklahoman who spoke about how writing a book changed her life and who gave so much to the profession of nursing.
