Member of the Quarter - April 2017

Mark Wilkinson, DNP, MBS, RN

April 2017

Congratulations to Mark Wilkinson, DNP, MBS, RN for being selected as Sigma Theta Tau’s Member of the Quarter for April 2017! Mark began his healthcare journey in 1999 graduating from Victoria College with his Associate of Applied Science in Nursing Degree. Then he obtained his Baccalaureate of Science Degree in Ministry/Bible at Southern Christian University in 2006. Mark has received two Masters Degrees: one in Biblical Studies from Sunset International Bible Institute in 2012 and one in Nursing from Lubbock Christian University in 2014. Just recently this year Mark graduated with his DNP from Samford University! During his healthcare career, Mark has combined ministry and home health nursing. He has also worked at University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas. Mark currently works as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nursing at Lubbock Christian University. His passion is teaching community health.

Mark has had the great honor of partnering with the South Plains Food Bank as part of the Health Advisory Council. There is a real need to address the health disparities among the food insecure population. That led him to the opportunity to work with the Dream Center. Partnering with the Dream Center, they established the Action Family Program. He organized and worked with the health screening and health education classes at the Dream Center. Mark’s DNP project was The Evaluation of a Community Based Program on Health Indicators in Food Insecure Population. After one year review of the health records, they were able to see statistically significant improvements in weight loss, lowering of BMI, and lowering of Systolic and Diastolic blood pressure readings. Mark has been selected to present his poster at STTI in Ireland and a podium presentation in Dallas.

Mark’s plan for the future of nursing includes to impact students to think differently about the patients they see in the hospital by increasing their vision of where the patient came from and where they are returning once they leave the hospital. His research showed him that we all have work to do in educating people to manage and improve their health. He wants to learn to teach more on the affect level and is planning out his next research project.

What Mark enjoys most about nursing is that it gives him the satisfaction to make a difference. He gets the opportunity to touch the hurting and show them the love of God. Mark said, “Nursing is caring and I get paid to care about people. How cool is that?”

Mark has been married for 40 years and has three children as well as six grandchildren. He met his wife while doing children’s ministry and since then he has never left. They are both very passionate about impacting the next generation. Their favorite pastimes are being outdoors. They backpack, hike, bike, and kayak. Right now they are restoring a 1973 camp trailer to make a glamper. Mark’s bucket list includes hiking rim to rim the Grand Canyon. He enjoys Sci-Fi because it’s not real and is a perfect escape from the realities of life.

Congratulations Mark! Sigma Theta Tau-Iota Mu is proud of your accomplishments!