Join host Lindsey Smith as she kicks-off a series of conversations with winners of the 2026 Raise the Line Faculty Awards from Elsevier Health, who were selected from more than 1,000 nominations submitted by students and colleagues at over 300 institutions worldwide. First up is Professor David Tanner, Director of Nursing Programs at Guildford Technical Community College in North Carolina, winner of the Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner category.
On today’s episode, we kick-off a series of conversations with winners of the 2026 Raise the Line Faculty Awards from Elsevier Health, who were selected from more than 1,000 nominations submitted by students and colleagues at over 300 institutions worldwide.
First up is Professor David Tanner, Director of Nursing Programs at Guildford Technical Community College in North Carolina, winner of the Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner category. “I don't have your traditional university students that are 19 or 20 years old. I have older students who are working jobs, have families, and are more serious in their studies.” As someone who started his own nursing career at 35, Professor Tanner can relate to the challenges they face, which spurs him to make sure they are getting the best possible learning experience from the precious time they are spending in the program.
In his conversation with Raise the Line from Elsevier host Lindsey Smith, Professor Tanner also reflects on the mentors who shaped him and makes the case for why more nurses should consider teaching, even though they may have to take a pay cut to do so. “I find it just as rewarding as when I worked on the floor.”
In this on-the-ground look at nursing education, you’ll also hear about:
Mentioned in this episode:
Guilford Technical Community College Nursing Programs
2026 Raise the Line Faculty Awards
Lindsey Smith
Hi everyone, I'm Lindsey Smith, welcoming you to Raise the Line from Elsevier, an ongoing exploration of how to improve health and healthcare.
Today we're joined by one of the winners of the 2026 Raise the Line Faculty Awards from Elsevier Health. This year's honorees were selected from more than a thousand nominations submitted by students and colleagues across 320-plus institutions worldwide. Nominators submitted heartfelt videos and testimonials celebrating educators who have guided, inspired, and shaped the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Today, I am honored to welcome Professor David Tanner, Director of Nursing Programs at Guilford Technical Community College, and winner of the Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner category.
Welcome to the show and congratulations, Professor Director Tanner.
David Tanner
It's a pleasure to be here.
Lindsey Smith
So let's start with talking about you. Can you tell us what first drew you into education? And then secondly, what does your day-to-day look like?
David Tanner
So I first got my start in nursing education when I was working as a pediatric nurse at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. One of my fellow nurses was a teacher for Case Western Reserve University and asked me if I'd thought about ever teaching clinicals for students to bring them on the floor and teach them the clinical portion of the class. She told me all I had to do was start my master's degree and they would hire me. So I went online, started my master's in nursing education, started teaching clinicals.
Then over the next two and a half years as I finished my master's degree, I eventually transitioned into full-time nursing education in Ohio, which led to me getting a job offer to come down here to North Carolina, where I am now and run the nursing programs at Guilford Technical Community College.
So my day-to-day now is a lot of administrative duties overseeing things because we have the third-largest nursing program in the state among the community colleges. We can have up to 380 students in our nursing programs at any given time. So it's a lot of students to manage, a lot of instructors. I do still teach pediatric topics to the classes because that's my expertise. I am a certified pediatric nurse.
So that's pretty much what my day is like. It's managing, talking to students, talking to faculty, working on accreditation. There's a lot that goes into it and definitely keeps me busy.
Lindsey Smith
I love that. I think it's amazing how those early experiences kind of shape everything that comes after. And you touched on this a bit in your response, but I want to come back to it. You mentioned that there was someone who asked you if you've ever thought about getting into education. Was that a colleague, or was there another teacher, mentor, or moment that really shaped the kind of educator that you wanted to be?
David Tanner
Well, through my nursing schooling, I knew what I liked and didn't like in clinical. So when I started teaching clinical, my goal was to give the students the best possible clinical experience they could have. Since I was teaching clinicals on the floor I worked on, the students I had got to take all the patients, all the high-end, high-acuity. I made sure every student gave meds every day so they all got the best possible clinical experience.
And that's what I've tried to carry forward throughout my education career, trying to make it the best experience for students for their nursing education. Because the better experience they have while they're in class and in clinical, the better it's going to prepare them for the NCLEX and then when they're actually out working in the field.
Lindsey Smith
I think it's clear just how much you care about your students and really making sure that you're giving them the best experience, and a reminder too of the ripple effect that great educators can have. It lasts for decades and will be seen in the clinical settings. And it sounds like your students feel the same way about you, which brings me to something that I've been really looking forward to sharing with you.
You were nominated by students and colleagues for the Raise the Line Faculty Awards, and you ended up winning. So, first of all, a huge congratulations to you on that recognition. But I want to read you something that one individual had to say about you to get your reaction. "David is a rock star. Organized, kind, collaborative, and dedicated are just a few of his many attributes. His approach to his faculty and students and their success is paramount to him and we admire his dedication to implementation."
What does it mean to you to hear that?
David Tanner
It sounds like everything I'm trying to do is being heard and appreciated. That makes me feel wonderful that they feel that way about me, because I'm always looking to keep us on the cutting edge technology-wise, advancing into whatever the newest is out there in nursing education. That's why I like working with the Elsevier products that we have, because we are constantly able to look to the future to different ways of learning or expanded ways of learning, instead of just the same old same old that has proven not to be as successful.
Especially with the Next Generation NCLEX, students have to learn in a different way. Particularly like my students, because we're a community college. My average student age is 29 old. So I don't have your traditional university students that are 19 or 20 old. I have older students who are working jobs, have kids, have families, and are more serious in their studies. So trying to get them the best experience is key.
Lindsey Smith
I have to say, just hearing that testimonial and the word rock star, I think, really stood out to me. I hope you carry that with you, because I think you can feel the love and admiration behind that testimonial. I think that impact doesn't happen by accident. So let's dig a little bit further here. Can you think of a student that you've taught who went on to do something that made you think, ‘this is why I do this?’
David Tanner
I had a student who actually just graduated in May that I had a lot of interactions with about exam remediation and counseling about nursing and about life. In fact, I wind up being a counselor for a lot of students too. It's just part of being nursing faculty.
She actually wound up becoming the class president, and I talked her into applying to become a nursing tutor. So now she is a tutor for our nursing program, and actually was for the whole last year of her program. Being able to encourage a student to use their knowledge to give back to more students....I felt that was a really big success, and I really loved seeing that happen.
Lindsey Smith
That is a great example of why you do what you do, and thank you for sharing that student story with us. So, let's look ahead a little bit. What's next for you and your institution?
David Tanner
Absolutely. So we just got our expansion approval, which goes into effect this fall. That's what pushes us to a maximum of 380 students. We are starting an evening program for the first time. We are also starting our application for national accreditation for the program. So we have a lot of work going forward in the next several months.
Lindsey Smith
That is really exciting to hear about the expansion, the evening program, and the application for the national accreditation. When you zoom out and think about the bigger picture of healthcare education today, where do you see the gaps?
David Tanner
So a lot of the gaps, honestly, are in lack of faculty. It's just the nature of education. It doesn't pay exceptionally well. Nurses can make far more at the hospital than they can in education. You really have to have a love for it and a desire to do it.
There's a nursing shortage nationwide. It's especially bad here in North Carolina. By 2030, we're going to be short roughly 15,000 nurses just in the state of North Carolina, which is great for students who are coming out with their degrees. They are starting off at higher pay rates and sign-on bonuses than I would have ever dreamed being able to start at coming out with an associate's degree in nursing. And that demand is only growing. The gaps are widening, nurses are retiring faster than we're replacing them, and that's the norm nationwide.
Lindsey Smith
Those are two really important points, and honestly something I think we don't talk about enough is the lack of faculty for nurses. So as a follow-up to that, what would you say to nurses who are considering becoming faculty? And then what would you say to just individuals on why they should get into the nursing field?
David Tanner
Well, first with getting into the nursing field, if you like caring for people, if you are that caring soul, nursing is for you. Nursing's all about caring. I mean, there's a lot more of a technical side to nursing now as we get more electronic, and all the advancements in medicine have changed a lot, but it’s still about being that first-line caregiver, the trusted person on the medical team. The nurse is the person who has the most interaction with the patient. Nursing is always listed as the most trusted profession in the world because we have so much face-to-face, one-on-one time with the patients.
As far as nursing education....most nurses have had a student with them in clinical or otherwise. If you enjoyed that experience and you think you might want to do that, becoming an adjunct is the way to start. That's how I started. You do one day a week, teach a clinical, go back, get your master's degree -- which pretty much everyone does now anyway if you're not also going for your doctorate and so on -- but get the schooling, try it out.
It's a great path for nursing, especially if you're getting burned out of being in the hospital and you want a different path, a change of pace, a little better life-work balance. When you're in education, you’re not on call 24/7 like you are at the hospital. You get more time with family. And really, I find it just as rewarding as when I worked on the floor.
Lindsey Smith
That is great advice. Let's play that back for a second. So you said to get into nursing, if you care, you want to be a trusted advocate for patients, and you really want that kind of day-to-day patient interaction on the front lines. And for nurses who want to become educators, if you enjoyed that experience of having a student with you, check it out, give it a try, because we truly need more incredible nursing faculty members.
David Tanner
Absolutely.
Lindsey Smith
So I want to make sure we leave room for something that's really important. Is there anyone that you'd like to recognize or thank...maybe a mentor, colleagues, students, or family that have helped you along as you've been an educator?
David Tanner
There have been so many. So, of course my wife has been my biggest support. We’ve been married thirty-two years. She was there to support me as I went back to school. I actually didn't become a nurse until I was thirty-five years old, so I was a little later to the nursing field. I was a medical assistant for over ten years before I became a nurse, and then just took off from there. It’s getting close to being twenty years in nursing now. It’s crazy to think it’s been that long.
But I had a bunch of nurses who supported me when I was in nursing school working at University Hospitals of Cleveland. I was working in a lab while I was in nursing school as a phlebotomist going around doing blood draws, and got to know a lot of nurses who became my mentors, who encouraged me, who basically told me that ‘you are going to come to this floor to do your practicum when you're a senior, and then we're going to make sure you get hired in.’ And they did. And it's not just one, there were several nurses on that floor who became my mentors, and it was the best possible way to get acclimated into being a registered nurse.
Lindsey Smith
I love that you took a moment to thank your wife and the community of nurses who eventually became your mentors, because I think behind every great educator is an entire village of people who help make that possible.
So, Elsevier is an education company and we like to fill knowledge gaps. Is there an area that you think we should make additional content on that isn't covered today?
David Tanner
So being a pediatric nurse, I think that a lot of nursing programs do not spend a lot of time with pediatrics. Like here in North Carolina, all of the community colleges teach the same curriculum. There's not a standalone pediatrics course.
Pediatrics is where my heart is, so I always want to see more time spent with pediatrics, because it's hugely important. Teaching kids early about their health and how to be healthy is key to being healthy as adults. If we’re trying to reverse some of the trends in the country of obesity, heart disease, diabetes... all of that has to start from the youth, and focusing on pediatrics, I think, is the way to do that.
Lindsey Smith
That's a great recommendation on pediatric nursing, and I agree, it’s so important we start with the younger generation to establish good health habits.
Before we wrap up today's episode, is there anything I didn't ask you that I should have?
David Tanner
I don't think so. I think that that covers everything pretty well. Basically, I love what I do.
Lindsey Smith
Thank you so much for being with us, and thank you so much for loving what you do. I think it's so important that we have educators that are passionate about shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals.
David Tanner
Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure.
Lindsey Smith
And that does it for today's episode. It's been a privilege hearing about Professor Tanner's work and the impact he's having on his students and the broader nursing community.
To our listeners, if today's conversation inspired you, we'd love to hear from you. And if you have an educator who is making a difference in your life, be sure to thank them. To learn more about the 2026 Faculty Awards, visit https://studenthub.elsevier.com/en/2026-raise-the-line-faculty-awards/
I'm Lindsey Smith. Thanks for checking out today's show. Remember to do your part to raise a line and strengthen the healthcare system. We're all in this together.